Thursday, February 10, 2011

US bishop sanctions cell phone in confession

A Catholic bishop in the United States has become the first Church authority to approve mobile phones to aid confession.

In what is termed as an attempt to reconcile the 21st century with the Catholic faith, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne in Indiana in early February sanctioned an iPhone app that aims to help Catholics through confession.

Confession: A Roman Catholic App for iPhones and iPads is touted as the ”perfect aid for every penitent” and is designed to be taken into the confessional. It also encourages lapsed members to return to the faith.

“Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology,” said Patrick Leinen of the Indiana-based Little iApps.

The app walks Catholics through a “personalized examination of conscience for each user,” ekerala.net reported Feb. 7.

It creates a customized and password-protected ”examination of conscience” based on a person’s age, sex and vocation. It also notes the time since the last confession and provides seven acts of contrition for the penitent to choose.

The app is not designed to replace going to confession but to help Catholics through the act. Catholics still must go to a priest for absolution.

Leinen said their inspiration came from Pope Benedict XVI’s World Communications Address on January 24, 2010 that stressed the importance of a Christian presence in the digital world.

“Our goal with this project is to offer a digital application that is truly ‘new media at the service of the word,” Leinen explained.

The firm developed the app with the help of Father Thomas Weinandy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Father Dan Scheidt, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Father Weinandy told reporters that Bishop Rhoades officially authorized the app for Catholics to use. The prelate also granted it an imprimatur, the official endorsement from a Church authority.

Leinen said the app has already aided one man to go to confession after 20years.

“When we were actually testing out the software before release we had one gentleman who hadn’t been to confession in about 20 years. He went in and did his confession with it and he said it made it much easier on him.”

Leinen said they hope many more people would “take advantage of this new confession resource.”

The app costs US$1.99.