In what may be the ultimate turn on Apple's "there's an app for that" marketing catchphrase, the Catholic church has endorsed an iPhone application called Confession. The app can be used to track a user's sins, and suggest ways to atone for them.
Available for $1.99 in Apple's iTunes store, Confession isn't intended to be a full substitute for actual confession. Instead, the app—developed in collaboration with the director of doctrine for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and a church pastor from Indiana—is intended to help Catholics reflect on how they may have transgresed, and
"With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance," said the app's developers, Little iApps, a three-person software company based in South Bend, Indiana, in a statement. "Individuals who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find Confession: A Roman Catholic App to be a useful and inviting tool."
Patrick Leinen, a developer and co-founder at Little iApps, told Reuters, "Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology. Taking to heart Pope Benedict XVI's message from last years' World Communications Address, our goal with this project is to offer a digital application that is truly 'new media at the service of the word.'"
The app works on Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and has received the approval from the church, receiving official authorization from Bishop Kevin Rhoades, the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. While the developers were not planning an Android version of the app, they say that strong demand has prompted them to start work on one.