February 10, 2011. The release of the “confession” application for the iPhone has raised questions whether it was still necessary to receive sacrament from a priest. The Vatican responded saying that this sacrament requires a “personal dialogue” that can't be replaced by technology.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi did say however that the application could be useful in helping people examine their conscience.

The application was originally developed in the United States as a way for helping people to prepare their confession.