We recently told you about the Irish priest working to modernise the Catholic church with social media, but just this week the Roman Catholic archdiocese has unveiled the 'Catholic App'.

Members of the church in Edinburgh and St Andrews will be the first to use the app to locate their nearest mass. The application will tell users where the nearest or soonest service is and use GPS to direct them to the church.

The “confession finder” app, nicknamed Sindr, is part of a growing trend for churches to use technology to attract and assist congregations. The app will be launched early next year by the archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, with another five dioceses in Scotland said to be interested in purchasing the technology from developers Musemantik.

Dr Maciej Zurawski, founder Musemantik, added: “Websites are losing popularity – what is needed to engage with the mobile generation is an app that is smart and personal, an app that is like a companion, a friend that takes the initiative to inspire you – that’s the vision behind the Catholic App.”

The Catholic App was officially launched on Tuesday afternoon, near the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Speaking at the launch, Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews & Edinburgh, said

“This is a little bit of smart technology that could make a big impact on how the Catholic Church brings the mercy of God and the joy of the Gospel to our contemporary world."