The error of absolution from the pope/priests was made clear to me in one episode of Da Vinci's Demons (S02E10 intro), where the pope refused to grant this to an enemy responsible to the death of the pope's daughter. In history, it is not uncommon to see illegitimate children of popes or "sexually active" popes.
One would argue that this is simply a humble comfort from the pope/priests to their subject to assure them salvation. However, though I will not accuse this principle of power-hungry first, I see a strong lacking in the teaching of reliance upon Christ. Many evangelicals today aren't that different actually, they usually exist in the Christian counseling community. By mere words of "you are fine", "that's Satan's words, don't listen to him", etc., they failed to pursue a biblical center growth in their subjects.