There is now an app whereby a Catholic in Spain can find a priest to meet him or her in order to be offered the sacrament of reconciliation (also known as “penance” or simply “confession”). The new app is called “Confesor Go” (note that, yes, there is one “s” in the Spanish word “confesor”), and there is also a recently-launched Twitter account (@ConfesorGo).
The app identifies the location of the user, and indicates where priests are located nearby, as well as introductory details about the priest, including his name, age, and year of ordination. Confesor Go also includes a list of the Ten Commandments, so that the penitent can examine his or her conscience in preparation for receiving the sacrament.
The app was developed by Father Ricardo Latorre, who has expressed his hope that the app will likewise become available in the Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America sometime within 2017. Of note, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of the Diocese of San Sebastián in Spain has made himself available via the app, and his brother bishops around the world would do well to consider supporting the use of such an app within their respective dioceses, in order to inspire more of the faithful to make recourse to the sacrament.
In fact, spreading the message of God’s abundant mercy has been a hallmark of Pope Francis’s pontificate, and the hope is that this app and similarly-formatted ones will further lead the faithful to accept God’s merciful love and forgiveness by way of the sacrament of reconciliation. This can be a reality in Spain, parts of Latin America, or wherever else Confesor Go or similar initiatives hold the prospect of leading the Lord’s flock to ongoing repentance and conversion, in the midst of the digital age or otherwise. “Good indeed is the Lord, his mercy endures forever, his faithfulness lasts through every generation” (Psalm 100:5).
