Following the success of the iBreviary, an iPhone application containing the book of daily prayers used by Roman Catholic priests, the Rev Paolo Padrini has developed the iMass, a free application containing the missal [all the instructions and text necessary for the celebration of Mass during the year].
This will enable priests to celebrate Mass using an iPad at the altar.
Father Padrini says that the application will never replace books containing the missal but could be useful for priests who have to travel a lot for their work. Sometimes they have to celebrate Mass in churches where the missal book is old and falling apart.
The application, which has yet to be named, will be launched officially in July in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Latin. Some 200,000 people have already downloaded it. Father Padrini, who was recruited by the Vatican to head its new media outreach programme for young people, emphasises that the application has been developed on his own initiative and at his own expense. .
Pope Benedict is no stranger to new technology.
The Vatican is on facebook and regularly puts material on youtube. The Pope was presented with an iPod in 2006 and in May his supporters were invited to text him.
Can you think of a name for the iMass application?
