iPhone users, your list of excuses to skip Confession on Saturdays just got a little bit shorter.

Despite some relatively progressive stances for Christians on positions such as science and evolution, the Catholic Church gets a lot of (okay, mostly deserved) flak on the internet for its sins. But say what you will about certain endemic to or pervasive in the church, Catholic Church leaders are also pretty with-it when it comes to social media. And just this week, the church broadened its embrace of web apps and platforms by sanctioning an iPhone app created by three laypeople under the guidance of two priests to walk lapsed or simply nervous parishioners through confession.

Before you get too excited about not having to look at Father Jack when you spill about getting drunk and groping your secretary, the app doesn’t offer absolution. However, it does help you sort through behaviors you might have engaged in that are sins- a function anyone who has blanked when it comes to that point can appreciate. The app’s site, littleiapps.com, describes it thusly:

With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance.

The app, emblazoned with a very Catholic but stylized Sacred Heart, is available for $1.99. And for penance? There are several rosary apps available for iPhone as well, including “Holy Rosary Deluxe Version” for $1.99.

Bless me father, for iHaveSinned: New iPhone ‘confessional’ app is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Catholic church won’t do contraception, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hip and to prove it they have just gone all web 2.0 on the devout unsuspecting masses. A new Catholic website, FlockNote.com was launched this month, providing diocesan, parish and lay organization leaders with a web 2.0 solution to sharing information with their groups.

A media release from the Flocknote.com says that until now, many Catholic groups have used email mailing lists and church bulletins to communicate with interested members.

On Flocknote.com, Catholic leaders can create “feeds” for every group that they lead. Group members are then invited to subscribe to feeds of interest and choose to receive notes by email, text message, Facebook – or on the website itself.

Flocknote is attracting more than Church leaders. Catholic musicians, bloggers, speakers and other laymen have also found the site to be instrumental in sharing their ministry

Flocknote.com doesn’t want to be confused as just another social networking site, no, according to the founders Flocknote has “created a unique niche, serving as both a high-tech mailing list – and a supplement to popular sites like Facebook.”

“At the end of the day,” Warner continued, “people truly want to be plugged in to their Catholic community – we just don’t always have the time to do it. Flocknote changes that. Now everyone can get the information they need in the most convenient way possible.”

Having your priest write on your fun wall is one thing, giving you a poke? Now that would be just plain creepy.

Since the Catholic church has caught the web 2.0 bug, we look forward to seeing Bible 2.0, confession via twitter (confess your sins in 140 characters or less), and the Pope’s Myspace page where he blogs regularly bitching the Cardinals just don’t understand him.

Holy father forgive me, its been seven days since I last got on Facebook is a post from: The Inquisitr