Vatican Condemns Confession App, Says It Is Not Possible To "Confess By iPhone"
by Joe White
February 9, 2011
The Vatican has openly condemned an iOS application that allows users to "confess by iPhone."
Confession: A Roman Catholic App hit the App Store earlier this month, and is available to download for $1.99. The aim of the application is to allow Catholics to "engage in their faith through digital technology," as its developer (Patrick Leinen) notes.
However, the Vatican isn't ready to embrace this kind of technology just yet. A Vatican spokesperson recently stated that isn't right for Catholics to use technology in the confessional:
"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," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told journalists. "I must stress to avoid all ambiguity, under no circumstance is it possible to 'confess by iPhone'," he said.We first told you about the application yesterday. Interestingly, while the Vatican has taken issue with the application, the app is sanctioned by the American Catholic Church. If you're curious to see what the app is all about, take a look at Confession: A Roman Catholic App in the App Store. It's available for $1.99.
