In persona Christi is a Latin phrase meaning "in the person of Christ", an important concept in Roman Catholicism and, in varying degrees, to other Christian traditions, such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism.
An extended term, In persona Christi capitis, “in the person of Christ the head,” was introduced by the bishops of the Vatican Council II in the Decree on the Ministry and Live of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, December 7, 1965.
[2] In Roman Catholicism, the priest acts in the person of Christ in pronouncing the words that comprise part of a sacramental rite.
The change in Canon Law introduced by Omnium in Mentem resolved a discrepancy between the applicability of in persona Christi Capitis (“in the person of Christ the Head”) to deacons as well as priests and bishops.
The rite for private confession and absolution in the Lutheran Service Book, the official hymnal of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, contains the following words of absolution given by the pastor to the penitent:In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.To which the penitent responds:Amen.