You piqued my curiosity and I found this
Protestant Objections to PenanceThe Protestant Reformation came about as a reaction to what the reformers perceived as abuses by the Roman Catholic Church. At the time of the Reformation, the Catholic Church offered indulgences. Indulgences allowed a person to confess sin and receive absolution based on a donation to the Church. The Reformers saw indulgences directly tied to the sacrament of penance, and in rejecting indulgences, rejected that sacrament. Protestants instead taught the doctrine of the "priesthood of all believers," which means that an individual can confess directly to God without a priest.