Skip to main content

Vatican City is not okay with confession by iPhone

confessioniphoneappPay attention, Catholic readers. This is important: the Vatican doesn’t want you confessing to your iPhone.

As the digital revolution continues to ease life in myriad ways, the top organization in the Catholic Church has decreed that Confession: A Roman Catholic App, a newly released iPhone app that advertises itself as “the perfect aid for every penitent,” is, predictably, not going to fly as a replacement for in-church confessionals. “It is essential to understand that the rites of penance require a personal dialogue between penitents and their confessor,” Holy See press officer Federico Lombardi said in a statement. “It cannot be replaced by a computer application.”

Recommended Videos

In case that wasn’t clear enough, Lombardi broke things down into even simpler terms: “I must stress to avoid all ambiguity, under no circumstance is it possible to ‘confess by iPhone.'”

The Vatican’s seal of disapproval invalidates an endorsement of the app from Catholic bishop Kevin Rhoades, who gave the app the Church’s… wait for it… blessing earlier this week. Confession was developed by Little iApps in collaboration with two Catholic priests.

The app is described in its iTunes description as an opportunity for “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.” So it’s not like the app purports itself to be any kind of replacement for actual churchgoing. The Vatican statement is not unexpected however, if only to avoid having worshipers get the wrong idea as to how it should be used.

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Apple might discontinue its most ‘courageous’ iPhone accessory
Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter.

Apple introduced the iPhone 7 in 2016. The phone is noted for being the first Apple handset to ship without a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack — something Apple infamously praised as a move that took "courage."

At a time when most wired headphones needed one of those jacks to listen to music, Apple had an interesting solution: a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that shipped with every new phone. According to MacRumors, Apple is set to end production on that accessory.

Read more
It’s the end of the road for these two iPhone models
Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Seeing your favorite handheld gaming device in a retro store has a unique way of making you feel old, but Apple might have topped it. According to the company, the iPhone XS Max and iPhone 6s Plus are now "vintage." They join the ranks of the iPhone 4 and even the iPad Pro 12.9-inch model.

It's not wholly unexpected. Apple declares a device vintage after five years, and that means it becomes more difficult to have that device repaired or to find replacement parts for it. Obsolete is applied to products that are more than seven years old, but sometimes certain variants get that label early.

Read more
The 10 best messaging apps for Android and iOS in 2024
best messaging apps.

Want to learn more about which messaging app best suits your needs? WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal are among the most secure picks, with end-to-end encryption to keep your chats safe. But there are also unique apps like Dust, where messages self-destruct after 24 hours, and Discord, which lets gamers easily chat while playing together. Meanwhile, Snapchat and Kik are popular for younger crowds with fun filters and the ability to join large group chats.

With so many messaging apps out there offering features like video calls, file sharing, and disappearing messages, it can be hard to choose the best one. That's why we've tested 10 of the most popular options on Android and iOS. Check out the full rundown with all the must-know details. They run on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, iPhone 16, and anything else that runs on Android or iOS.
WhatsApp

Read more