When I got to see the “Confession: A Roman Catholic app” for real, I stopped wondering why confessions to the iPhone has been the buzz in the apps world today. The application basically helps a person examine his or her conscience in order to participate in the Rite of Penance. According to the Catholic spokesperson:
The text of this app was developed in collaboration with Rev. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Rev. Dan Scheidt, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, IN. The app received an imprimatur from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend. It is the first known imprimatur to be given for an iPhone/iPad app.
However, this app has created some kind of a problem to people who don’t understand its real use. Some people directly give their confessions to the iPhone instead of going to a real priest to confess. Vatican was not happy about this:
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. I must stress to avoid all ambiguity; under no circumstance is it possible to "confess by iPhone."
Photo credit: Gizmodo
