The U.S. Catholic Church has apparently given its blessing to an iPhone app aimed at helping Catholics with confession, Reuters reports.

The $1.99 "Confession: A Roman Catholic" app guides Catholics through the sacrament and contains what the developer describes as a "personalized examination of conscience for each user."

It is not designed to replace going to confession but to help Catholics with the act, which generally involves admitting sins to a priest in a confessional booth. Catholics still must go to a priest for absolution.

Among the features cited:

- Custom examination of conscience based upon age, sex and vocation (single, married, priest, or religious)

- Multiple user support with password protected accounts

- Ability to add sins not listed in standard examination of conscience

- Confession walkthrough including time of last confession in days, weeks, months and years

- Choose from 7 different acts of contrition

- Custom interface for iPad "Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology," says Patrick Leinen of the Indiana-based Little iApps.

The company says Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana officially authorized the app for Catholics to use.

The firm says the content was developed with the help of Rev. Thomas Weinandy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Rev. Dan Scheidt, an Indiana pastor.