Important message for Catholic iphone users

Called Confessions: A Roman Catholic App, the $1.99 iPhone software has the user make an instant messenger confession with a virtual priest.

The Vatican put its foot down Wednesday over the idea of "confessing'' by iPhone, after news that US users can now download an application for the Apple gadget that helps the faithful gain absolution.

"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.

"Confession: A Roman Catholic App,'' is the first program for the Apple devices created by a South Bend, Indiana-based company called "Little i Apps'' and sells for $1.99 dollars (1.45 euros) on iTunes.

The app guides the faithful on their path to confession by checking whether their behaviour conforms to the rules of the Scriptures with questions such as "have I been involved in occult practices?"

There are some issues with the new approach, to put it mildly:

It will actually promote more “sinning”:

One of the biggest deterrents from sinning is realizing the ritual of confession that will eventually have to happen afterwards. For the Catholic, it means going to the neighborhood church, saying the sins out loud to a priest, and doing the requested penance. By iConfessing, the penalty for a sin is equal to a FourSquare check-in.

It will lower the amount of actual confessions:

The Catholic Church is naive to believe that the average churchgoer will do an iConfession and still come in for an official one, particularly if they are a tech-savvy, younger member. It’s like doubling the requirements demanded of the parish.

It feels unethical to charge:

The creator (of the app, not the Earth) Little i Apps is charging $1.99 for a service that is free in the church. The app cost money to create and users are enjoying the convenience of it, but it seems counter to the “bring your sick, bring your poor” approach preached within the average church today.

If the Catholic Church were a business, this would be called outsourcing.