Even if you don’t know what one is, you’ve probably heard the commercials that promise, “There’s an app for that.” An app is application software that runs on a computer, a mobile device, or other platform like an iPhone, iPad, or Facebook. There are apps for word processing, downloading music, and tracking your expenses.
Why are we talking about apps at church? Because of the technology explosion in recent years, developers are now creating apps aimed at one of the largest demographics in the world – Roman Catholics. There are rosary apps, Liturgy of the Word apps, and now, there is an iPhone app being advertised as a Confession app with Vatican approval.
According to news reports, the Pope himself had given permission for confession to be done via cell phone using this new app, with the only restriction being that the penitent had to actually go to a priest for absolution. The Catholic world was excited at the prospect of not having to confess sins aloud, but simply type them into a password-protected program on a phone!
This excitement was short-lived. The Vatican qualified its support for the app a day after the program’s developer announced it was the first app to have official Church sanction. A Vatican spokesman said, “It is essential to understand well the sacrament of penitence requires the personal dialogue between the penitent and the confessor and the absolution by the confessor. This cannot in any way be substituted by a technology application.”
A spokesman from the company that designed it said, "Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology." He goes on to quote Pope Benedict XVI's message from last year’s World Communications Address, in which the pope encouraged Christians to interact with the digital world in service of the faith.
So how can this app be used by faithful, technologically-savvy Catholics?
For those who have not celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation recently – perhaps not since their first time – this app features three parts: an Examination of Conscience “to help you figure out what your real sins are;” step-by-step instructions for what to do inside the confessional; and a space to record any absolution or penance from the priest.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation has changed over the years. The priest hearing your confession is less likely to ask you “how many times” and more likely to help you understand your failings and give your some spiritual guidance to go with the grace you receive from the sacrament. But all of that still needs to be done in person!
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