In the Roman Catholic Church, the Penitential Rite, officially called the Penitential Act, is a part of the Introductory Rites of the Mass. It is an act that, at the invitation of the priest celebrating the Mass, the whole congregation, after a brief pause for silence, carries out through a formula of general confession of sinfulness. It concludes with absolution by the priest, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance.