Vatican Bans Confession By iPhone

Got sins? A new app for the iPhone and the iPad seeks to help Catholics prepare for confession, that sacred ritual of seeking penance for sins big and small.

“Confession: A Roman Catholic App” does not purport to take the place of an actual confession. Not even the Catholic Church, tech-savvy as it is with the Vatican tweeting in six languages, would approve that. Rather, it guides you through the Ten Commandments with a slew of questions attached to each.

Check boxes for the sins you’ve committed – and there are many, as any lapsed Catholic knows. The $1.99 app then guides you through contrition and offers sample text you can tell a real-life priest, which you’ll have to find yourself to absolve you of your sins.

The Vatican said confessing by iPhone does not replace confessing to a priest.

“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.