Yet John does not back you up.
Luke 11:2-4
'Father, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
3'Give us each day our daily bread.
4'And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.' "
NAS
Luke 17:1-4
17:1 And He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." NAS
Even the Apostle James does not agree with your assessment:
James 5:16
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. NAS
There is nothing in James espistle that instructs us to confess to an apostle or his successor.
Acts 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
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Acts 5:31-32
31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."
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Acts 10:43
43 "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
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Acts 13:38-41
38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. 40 "Take heed therefore, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
41'Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.' "
NAS
Acts 26:15-18
'Who art Thou, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16'But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me. '
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Colossians 1:12-14
13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NAS
The overwhelming Biblical evidence is that we are forgiven of our sins through Jesus' finished work on the cross and not through confession to or forgiveness by a confessor.
In fact confession of sins is only found in two Scriptures James 5:16 where we confess to each other so we can pray for each other and 1 John 1:9 where John states we should confess to God and He will forgive us.