confessor

noun4

1. •
   One who confesses to having done something wrong.
2. •
   A priest who hears confession and then gives absolution.
3. •
   (figurative) Someone who acts as listener and helper.
4. •
   One who confesses faith in Christianity in the face of persecution, but who is not martyred.

   • Long before Edward I, the English had a King Edward who they considered a martyr and a King Edward who they considered a confessor.