Vatican Voices Disapproval for Confession iPhone App

[Alon Shechter]

I demand this comment die.

 

[colourblind]

I feel better letting a kid use this on an Iphone than the face to old man behind a thin wall in the shadows option.

 

[DTWolfwood]

What yall don't have an iPhone that is also an ordain minister?

 

[Prometherion]

Do you think when they uprgrade their app they'll call it the Reformation app?

But isnt paying for a confession called an indulgence and a sin? Or maybe usuary?

 

[Toriver]

Do you think when they uprgrade their app they'll call it the Reformation app?

But isnt paying for a confession called an indulgence and a sin? Or maybe usuary?

Well, it was one of Luther's main sticking points at that point in the Reformation: at that time selling indulgences, which were basically "get out of Purgatory free cards" for after you had already confessed was a relatively common practice. The Catholic Church got rid of the practice in the Counter-Reformation. Indulgences themselves still exist, but are not physical objects and cannot be bought or sold for money. Instead, they are earned through prayer and good works. They still exist because the Church still believes that even if you confess your sins and are absolved of them, you must still spend time in Purgatory for your sins. Essentially, it's saying that you can't basically do whatever in the hell you want, no matter how bad, then waltz into confession and tell the priest and walk out with a clean slate. The only way you actually have a 100% clean slate is to go to reconciliation, then earn a plenary indulgence, which wipes all time in Purgatory for the sins in your life away. Of course, earning such an indulgence is not easy and can only happen at certain times.

But, TLR, it has never been OK in the Church to sell absolution from sins, and the sale of indulgences has indeed been banned for over 500 years now. Money is not the main issue here, it's a matter of administering a sacrament. Personally, I think that if this app is really just meant to help prepare someone for the sacrament (which is actually quite a nifty idea), they should probably rename the app to reflect that. Something like "Confession Preperation" or "Examination of Conscience". That way it would be clear as day that this is not meant to take the place of the sacrament. It's likely the Vatican doesn't have all the details about the app, and has spoken up based of the limited amount it knows, but given what they likely know and the impression the name of the app gives, their reaction is not surprising.

 

[Dana22]

The Vatican is entitled to define how to practice their religion, I can't argue with that logic.

Jesus would disagree. If only Pope read the Bible

 

[TerribleAssassin]

So because the Vatican says it's no replacement, that makes it fact?

That's because in the Catholic Church, a priest has to dispense absolution from your sins and give you a penance in order for it to be a true reconciliation. An iPhone app can't do that. So while this may not actually be meant to take the place of the sacrament of reconciliation, it could confuse many Catholics into thinking it's a valid substitute when it's really not. That's the problem with it.

But, when you think about it, it's easier for a person to confess to an iPhone than it is to a person, because then it's more of a secret, sure it gets rid of the entire absolution dispension thing, but as long as it's a confession to God, be it Person, Bird or iPhone apps, it's still a medium of confession.

 

[Toriver]

So because the Vatican says it's no replacement, that makes it fact?

That's because in the Catholic Church, a priest has to dispense absolution from your sins and give you a penance in order for it to be a true reconciliation. An iPhone app can't do that. So while this may not actually be meant to take the place of the sacrament of reconciliation, it could confuse many Catholics into thinking it's a valid substitute when it's really not. That's the problem with it.

But, when you think about it, it's easier for a person to confess to an iPhone than it is to a person, because then it's more of a secret, sure it gets rid of the entire absolution dispension thing, but as long as it's a confession to God, be it Person, Bird or iPhone apps, it's still a medium of confession.

But the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. And merely confessing is totally different than actually receiving absolution from your sins. Confession is basically saying you're sorry. You can do that any time, to anyone, sure. But to actually ensure you are forgiven and make things right with God again, that's where the sacrament comes in. How would you like it if I stole something from you, then felt bad about it, but instead of apologizing to you, I apologized on my iPhone to an app? Kinda defeats the purpose of apologizing.

Further, confessing your sins face to face with a priest is really a test of exactly how sorry you are for your sin, and can actually make a great first step to thinking about what you've done and taking action to improve yourself afterward. It feels great to get that guilt off your chest afterward, but thinking about it beforehand and actually confessing your sins to the priest is not a pleasant experience, nor is it meant to be. A phone or a bird is not a person, and certainly isn't a priest. You're not only confessing to a person, you're confessing to someone who is supposed to be a moral guide to the church community, and a person you know on top of that. This is not telling a stranger. Sure, it's water under the bridge the moment the priest absolves you, and he likely forgets everything you tell him within a day or two (priests hear a LOT of confessions), but to face him and tell him all that you've done, it's certainly something you've really got to be sorry about and willing to take action to change. Or something you're not ashamed to mention at all, at which point, according to the Church, although the priest can say you're absolved, it's not a valid confession. The point is, the fact that it's difficult can actually be seen as an overall benefit in this case. If it's not difficult, it's really not teaching you anything. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, in this case, in a spiritual sense.

As to any sort of confession being good in the eyes of God, the Church itself doesn't even really deny this, but in regards to certain other sacraments and Church rites, such as the Eucharist, which should only be undertaken by those not in a state of mortal sin, reconciliation is kind of an assurance to both you and the Church that you're in good standing on that note. Any confession could be good in the eyes of God, but better safe than sorry, you know?

 

[esperandote]

That would be like confessing to any other object, unless it's an online confession, either way, laziness much?

 

[AdumbroDeus]

Gah, so much misinformation about catholic theology here.

No, the Pope doesn't define the practice of Catholicism, though he does have the authority to infallibly, but only in rare cases explicitly defined by scripture and Sacred Tradition, both in terms of required conditions and the topics where it is possible. This same authority is granted to the church as a whole.


In releases such as this, the Pope is to be respected, but his word is not absolute.



An app could not replace confession because of sacramental theology, though it does not seem to be what the app is intending.

 

[Logic 0]

Confess your sins there's an app for that.

 

[Jack Macaque]

I believe confession is something a little more personal, I don't agree with the app but that's IMO.

This seems more like something a guy would use right after telling his wife he's going to work and right before an coke-filled night of orgy-clubbing.

 

[Zero=Interrupt]

So because the Vatican says it's no replacement, that makes it fact?

They're the ones that write the doctrine, so..... yeah. If you're a Catholic, you listen to them. It's in the paperwork when you sign up.

 

[Burningsok]

So because the Vatican says it's no replacement, that makes it fact?

That's because in the Catholic Church, a priest has to dispense absolution from your sins and give you a penance in order for it to be a true reconciliation. An iPhone app can't do that. So while this may not actually be meant to take the place of the sacrament of reconciliation, it could confuse many Catholics into thinking it's a valid substitute when it's really not. That's the problem with it.

your right. The problem with this app is it will make confessions easier and completely pointless. People will be able to instantly justify any sort of sin. Confessing should be with a priest because it actually involves human interaction which makes the whole confession thing a little harder to do. Simply put, people won't be as responsible and take the lazy quick-fix approach.

Still, I find it pathetic that you can confess to anything, and somehow justify a wrong. You should have to make up for your it by being punished, or doing something good that outweighs the bad.

and no, I'm not a very religious person.

 

[standokan]

Well as long as the pope doesn't start tweeting, I'm conent.

 

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

forgive me father for i have sinned, for plying assasins creed brotherhood and hating the church. also your my next target *STAB!*




lame zero punctuation joke.......yeeeeaaah..

 

[Superhyperactiveman]

I can see where they're coming from in this. The whole point of confession is that a priest is acting as God's eyes and ears in the confessional. The machine isn't really qualified to do that. Plus, part of the point of the confession is that it's difficult to tell your sins to another person for fear of judgement. It's too easy to just jam them into a machine. It loses all the meaning, because it's too easy.

 

[Baneat]

Should be linked to facebook.

"Bob has gone to online confession for Adultery."

60 people like this
1 person dislikes this

Bob's relationship status has been updated

 

[Pebkio]

Bwahahahahaha!

Hee hee... hold on.

I think bwaaaahahahaha!

I agree with the... um... er, nice clergymen. This is silly. I mean, really: paying for absolution! How droll. Just imagine if the Church had ever... ever... oh...

---

All jokes aside, this app does seem to just scream "RELIGIOUS SLOTH".

Although, I did see someone suggest that the app was just a reference pad for all the sins you've committed since your last confession. I'm just wondering... is it like... a fillable form? Like a pdf? With drop downs... radial buttons... or a sort of fill-in-the-blank document? Does it come with the ability to post a picture next to the entry? I think anyone who pays for this app should really get their money's worth.

Edit:

Should be linked to facebook.

"Bob has gone to online confession for Adultery."

60 people like this
1 person dislikes this

Bob's relationship status has been updated

Yaaaaaaay! Yay! That's a great joke. If anyone actually made that as a faux-printscreen image, I would so use it as my desktop wallpaper for a while.

 

[Levethian]

there is ample evidence in our world that perception is often more powerful than truth.

Agreed. But if someone demonstrates an overriding perception that doesn't fall in line with a major religion (for instance, the overt perception that they are put on earth to honor & worship space-badgers that dispense fruitcakes), that person would be shunned and taken away to be treated for their delusion.

It's impossible to invent truth - although I'm ALL in favour of people finding solace in their beliefs.

I think you've missed the point of what was being said. Anti-theists already have their minds made up, and in hostile ways to those who do believe. There is little point arguing with them as the arguments fall on deaf ears. They are just as closed minded as the opposite end of the spectrum - the fanatic. There is no critical engagement to those who delude, distort, and delete anything that's presented to them.

I thought anti-theists answered to science, which endlessly amends itself in search of the truth. I thought it was religion that was set in stone. You need to find nicer anti-theists to discuss this with, sounds like an angry bunch you have to put up with .

I think Ricky Gervais writes quite well & simply about it:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/19/a-holiday-message-from-ricky-gervais-why-im-an-atheist/

Vatican seems to have misunderstood the true purpose of the App & should be corrected.