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Vatican Bans iOS Confessional App

Despite all the hype yesterday that a lowly priest had approved the new confessional app hitting the app store, the truth has now found a way of revealing itself. According to today’s Daily Mail, a spokesman for the Vacitan, Federico Lombardi said: ‘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’. ‘I must stress to avoid all ambiguity, under no circumstance is it possible to "confess by iPhone".’

The Vatican has warned that an app can never replace visiting a priest.

 

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Designed to be used in the confessional, this app is described in the press literature as ‘the perfect aid for every penitent. With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance. Individuals who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find Confession: A Roman Catholic App to be a useful and inviting tool’.

Well, obviously the Vacitan doesn’t see it like that and would much prefer you to confess your sins in person, what do you think, does this app take things too far?

Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)

10 Comments

  • grub

    “The Vatican has warned that an app can never replace visiting a priest.”

    The priests need their daily visits from the altar boys.

    • Hakari Tenshou

      Looks like this app could cut down on child molestation, the Vatican can’t have that!

  • dmt

    ‘ The Vatican has warned that an app can never replace visiting a priest. ‘

    Oh, I don’t know. An app is much easier on the ass.

  • M N

    The app _prepares_ a person for confession. E.g., generate a list of sins, help you reflect on those sins, etc. The priest who validated the app said that it was just as good as existing books or pamphlets to help someone prepare for confession.

    The app does not let you confess your sins. In the Catholic Church, you must confess to a priest. The Vatican is just stating that.

    The only thing to see here is that reporters misdescribed the app as the “confession app” not as the “confession preparation app” and the Vatican felt it needed to release something to clarify the situation.

    M___ N___
    (recipient of 15 yrs. of Catholic education)

  • doofus

    Confessing to a priest over the iPhone just wouldn’t have the same effect for the movies.

  • Greg Laden

    Hey, I’m the LAST person to defend the Vatican (or one of its priests) or, for that matter, an iPhone app,but both this story and the Vatican’s specific response are great examples of how our species is nowhere near as brainy as claimed. As noted above, the app is not instead of confessing in a confessional to an authorized priest. Therefore, the Vatican should have nothing to say about it and this story should never have been written.

  • Stevejobs

    Incoming, at Apple’s Store! “Priest visitation schedule app”. Schedule visits to priest next to you … Vatican’s Approved seal 😉