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The holy rite of confession cannot occur without a direct dialogue between the penitent and the priest, which cannot be replaced with any electronic means.

This comes in a statement from the Vatican in response to the release of a new Confession application for the Apple iPhone.

Representatives of the Catholic Church in the UK and the US have approved the new feature, which allows people to keep track of their sinful deeds in preparation for confession.

The head of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, pointed out that such digital aids, which might be useful for some, cannot possibly substitute for the act of admitting your sins to a priest.

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