“Bless me,
iPhone, for I have sinned...hold on a minute, I have a text message coming in. You should really see this funny YouTube (
News -
Alert) clip.”
Confession by
iPhone? Turns out to be real -- to a point. The first Catholic confessional app for iPhone (
News -
Alert), called (appropriately) “Confession: A Roman Catholic App,” was created by a South Bend, Indiana-based company called “Little iApps.” It can be purchased on iTunes for $1.99 dollars.
But lest you get excited that in the future, you'll be able to dispense with all that embarrassing talking to a priest about your sins both venial and mortal, know that the Vatican has sternly “excommunicated” the concept, and declared that talking to your
iPhone offers no absolution, according to
AFP news.
“It is essential to understand that the rites of penance require a personal dialogue between penitents and their confessor... It cannot be replaced by a computer application,” said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi to journalists querying him about the legitimacy of the app. “I must stress to avoid all ambiguity, under no circumstance is it possible to 'confess by iPhone',” said Lombardi.
“Confession: A Roman Catholic App,” its makers’ very first
iPhone app, guides the faithful on their path to confession by checking whether their behavior conforms to the rules of the Scriptures with questions such as “have I been involved in occult practices?”
The app's developer, Patrick Leinen, said the app was designed to be used in the confessional and was intended “for those who frequent the sacrament and those who wish to return.”
“Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology,” Leinen said in a press release on his
Website.
So it's back to the confessional with a (real, live, breathing) priest for you, iPhone wielding Catholics.
Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Tammy Wolf 
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