A new "Confession" application for Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch has received the blessing of a Catholic bishop.
"Confession: A Roman Catholic App", is the first program for the Apple devices created by a South Bend, Indiana-based company called "Little iApps."
Its developer, Patrick Leinen, said the app was designed to be used in the confessional and was intended "for those who frequent the sacrament and those who wish to return."
He said the app, which provides a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, had received the imprimatur from Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese, the first program to receive the stamp of the church.
Leinen said he was inspired in developing the app by Pope Benedict XVI's call to the faithful to use new media to good purposes.
"Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology", Leinen said in a press release on his littleapps.com website.
"Taking to heart Pope Benedict XVI's message from last year's World Communications Address, our goal with this project is to offer a digital application that is truly 'new media at the service of the Word,'" he said.
The app costs $1.99 in Apple's iTunes store.
It offers password protected customized profiles, a guide to performing the sacrament as well as a list of acts of contrition.
"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", Leinen said.
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