This is not a joke, I repeat, not a joke!  It’s seems that due to a decrease in the number of people who attend a confessional regularly, the Pope has approved an app that helps you keep track of your sins!

It’s called Confession: A Roman Catholic App and apparently it’s being described as “the perfect aid for every penitent.”

Now the app’s description as seen in the App Store says this:

“Designed to be used in the confessional, this app is 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 useful and inviting tool.”

However it also goes to say, a little further down on the info:

“It does not and can not take the place of a confessing before a validly ordained Roman Catholic priest in a Confessional, in person, either face to face, or behind the screen.  Why?  Because the Congregation on Divine Worship and the Sacraments has long ruled that Confessions by electronic media are invalid and that ABSOLUTION BY THE PRIEST must be given in person because the Seal of the Confessional must be Protected and for the Sacrament to be valid there has to be both the matter and the form which means THE PRIEST.”

So don’t get your hopes up, you still have to go and confess to a local priest, this app is specifically designed to let you keep track of your (possibly) numerous sins.

Each commandment has it’s very owl list of sins, you go through each one throughout the day and highlight your sins…kind of like a checklist.  Apparently, you can just type out your own offense if you can’t find it on the commandment lists although that’ll probably only happen if you’ve done something extremely inventive or heinous.

The overall point of this app is to make your confession to the priest, short, sweet and to the point.  Also so that if you’re a frequent sinner, it’s easy to keep track of them all, however make sure you’ve got the password turned on, you don’t want someone else seeing all of the sins you’ve committed!

Now, Confession: A Roman Catholic App costs $1.99 in the App Store and all proceeds are said to be donated to several different Catholic charities.

What do you think of this new app?  Do you plan to download it to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch?  Do you think that it’s worth it or sacrilegious?  Let me know in your comments, I look forward to reading them!