Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Sacrament of Penance is a practice where the physical space of the confessional serves as a vessel for spiritual healing. The Council of Trent solidified the scriptural basis for this sacrament in its fourteenth session by quoting John 20:22, 23 to establish the priest's authority to absolve sins. The Seal of Confession is absolute, ensuring that the penitent's soul is healed without fear of earthly exposure.
The Eastern Orthodox tradition replaces the confessional box with the open space of the church where the priest stands as a witness rather than the source of forgiveness. The penitent venerates a Gospel Book and a blessing cross placed on an analogion before placing their thumb and first two fingers on the feet of Christ as depicted on the cross. This bond is so profound that no legal official can override a spiritual guide in criminal cases, and the confession is protected by the same seal as in the Roman Catholic tradition.
The Anglican tradition accepted private confession in the second half of the 20th century, with the 1979 Book of Common Prayer providing two forms for the Reconciliation of a Penitent. The aphorism All may; none must; some should captures the Anglican view, where private confession is available but not required. The seal of the confessional is absolute, with any confessor who divulges information subject to deposition and removal from office.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that confession is a necessary requirement for complete forgiveness, involving interviews with priesthood leaders such as bishops or stake presidents. The sinner must confess both to God and to those persons wronged by the sin, with specific sins like adultery, fornication, and intentional use of pornography requiring confession to a priesthood leader. The confession must be held in strict confidence unless the confessor grants permission to disclose it to a disciplinary council.
Step 5 of the Twelve-Step Program requires admitting to God, to oneself, and to another human being the exact nature of one's wrongs. Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob believed that the Fifth Step was absolutely necessary for an alcoholic to be cured, and Anne Smith stated that un-confessed sins would haunt the individual, resulting in the demise of their body and spirit. By completing the Fifth Step, the individual gains God's forgiveness, supervision, and strength, obtaining complete forgiveness.