In an age of widespread popularity of the smartphone to remain connected, a Pakistani archbishop has called on his faithful to refrain from using their smartphones for an hour during Lent. Speaking to the faithful at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, last week, His Grace Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore called for “an hour of fasting from smartphones to avoid distractions during the 14 Stations of the Cross and Sunday Mass”. “Mobile phones,” he said, “are like having Satan stashed away in your pockets when you come to church.”
As reported by Vatican news, His Excellency Archbishop Shaw wants to warn young people against developing an addiction to the smartphone, like drugs. He lamented that “young people keep sending messages even while they are praying.” Instead, he said they should use Lent to analyze their life and give up habits and behaviours that distance them from others. “Be firm in the face of temptation,” he urged. In Pakistan, the use of mobile phones inside churches is also a security issue, related to terror attacks. For this reason, Church authorities have banned taking photo or video, including during religious holidays like Easter and Christmas.
His Grace Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad agreed with his fellow bishop in Lahore. “Although it is a great source of information at one’s fingertips, the unbridled use of mobile phones is most dangerous for young people,” he said. He pointed to the harmful radiation from mobile phones and their use for wrong purposes and said they can destroy families.
Source: www.asianews.it
