iPhone News Updated

Local priests say iPhone ‘confession app’ is good tool if used properly

Local priests say iPhone ‘confession app’ is good tool if used properly

An iPhone app might make you a better Catholic.

That’s the position a cell phone application developer is taking in releasing the first iPhone application sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, and priests in Quincy agree that it just might strengthen your faith, if used properly.

“Technology is here to stay, and if it helps people grow in their devotion, more power to them,” said Monsignor Leo Enlow, pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church. “I don’t think it’s something to be feared as long as it’s understood in the right ways.”

“Confession: A Roman Catholic App” was released as a program for the Apple iPhone earlier this month as a tech-savvy aid to Catholics preparing for the sacrament of reconciliation, or confession and absolution of sins through a priest.

That’s right — through a priest. Not through a phone.

Catholic clergy, including the bishop and priest whom “Confession” developer Little iApps consulted and the Indiana bishop who bestowed the church’s approval in December, emphasize that despite its name, the $1.99 application does not actually absolve sins or take the place of an in-person confession to a priest.

“It does not replace the sacrament itself,” said the Rev. Arnaud Devillers, chaplain at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Quincy’s home for the traditional Latin Mass. “I don’t think the inventors of the application had in mind to replace the sacrament, just (provide) an aid or help for the sacrament.”

Rather, “Confession” provides a means of preparation for the sacrament. It includes a personalized examination of conscience, or reflection on personal sins, tailored to the age, sex and marital or religious vocation status of the user. User accounts on the phone are password-protected, keeping such reflections private.

There’s even a step-by-step guide to the ritual of reconciliation for those who find themselves out of practice when they step into the confessional. Developers say it’s a great tool particularly for bringing errant Catholics back to the faith.

“Individuals who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find â Confession: A Roman Catholic App’ to be a useful and inviting tool,” reads an excerpt from the application’s product description on the Apple iTunes store, where iPhone users purchase applications.

Enlow said he hopes the process of reflecting on one’s transgressions via technology doesn’t take away from the human element of the sacraments.

“Part of the celebration of this particular sacrament is the ability to confront your own failings … and express them to somebody other than yourself,” he said.

The church and iPhone users alike must be clear, too, that only a priest can grant a person absolution from his sins, Enlow said.

Despite its potential flaws, both Enlow and Devillers applaud the use of technology as a faith tool in products like “Confession,” although both admitted they hadn’t used the application themselves.

Devillers said a mobile devotional tool is a good extension of computers’ and so-called smart phones’ use for information purposes.

“It saves trees,” he joked.

“Confession” isn’t the only Catholic-friendly application on the market. Several developers have released virtual Bibles and rosaries for the iPhone and other smart phones such as the Android.

[Thanks: http://www.whig.com]

Comments are closed.