Pope Benedict XVI has said Catholics should use digital technologies responsibly.
The Catholic Church has approved an iPhone app that helps guide worshippers through confession.
The application works as a self-examination guide to remember and check every commandment content , in the way to get a truly regret of the sins a worshippers may committed before a personal confession with the priest.
The program - called Confession - went on sale last week through iTunes for £1.19 ($1.99).
Described as "the perfect aid for every penitent", it offers users tips and guidelines to help them with the sacrament.
Now senior church officials in America have given it their seal of approval, in what is thought to be a first.
The app takes users through the sacrament - in which Catholics admit their wrongdoings - and allows them to keep track of their sins.
It also allows them to examine their conscience based on personalised factors such as age, sex and marital status - but it is not intended to replace traditional confession entirely.
Instead, it encourages users to understand their actions and then visit their priest for absolution.
"Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology," Patrick Leinen of developer Little iApps
The launch comes shortly after Pope Benedict XVI gave urging to Christians to embrace digital communication and make their presence felt online.
In his World Communications Address on 24 January, he said it was not a sin to use social networking sites - and particularly encouraged young Catholics to share important information with each other online.
"I invite young people above all to make good use of their presence in the digital world," he said.
He warned them to keep in mind that digital communication was part of a bigger picture, however.
"It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives."
The firm , who are based on Indiana, said : the app was developed with assistance from several priests and had been given the church's imprimatur by Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana.
Pope Benedict XVI has said Catholics should use digital technologies responsibly.
Source: BBC.CO.UK
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