Put away phones at mealtimes and talk to each other, says pope

 

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis sends a message on a mobile phone at the end of a special audience with altar servers in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican, July 31, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged people to talk to each other at mealtimes instead of using their mobile phones, citing Jesus, Mary and Joseph as an example for families to follow.

 

They "prayed, worked and communicated with each other", the pope told the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square during his weekly Angelus address.

 

"I ask myself if you, in your family, know how to communicate or are you like those kids at mealtables where everyone is chatting on their mobile phone ... where there is silence like at a Mass but they don't communicate," the pope said.

 

"We have to get back to communicating in our families," Francis said in his unscripted remarks. "Fathers, parents, children, grandparents, brothers and sisters, this is a task to undertake today, on the day of the Holy Family."

 

(Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Alison Williams)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-30

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And how did the pope get this message out to the world, via social media????

Lucky we were looking at our phones or we may have missed it.

He is right and this message is nothing new. For me mobile phones are the cancer of the modern world. They can be as harmful as drugs but in a different way.

 

My phone isn't my best friend. it is a tool to be used sparingly and not to take over face to face communication. Sadly most of the youth can barely make a grunt never mind a conversation. So the Pope is talking on deaf ears, sadly.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

citing Jesus, Mary and Joseph as an example for families to follow

So they put their mobile phones away at mealtimes, yeh?

 

And did they put them Away in a Manger?   LOL

Edited December 30, 20196 yr by wgdanson

What utter and ignorant nonsense coming from this man! Lesser than 15% of the world is supposedly catholic, the true number of practising Catholics is probably far lower, so why is he constantly in the news? ignoring what is truly happening & "preaching" crud. The media has a lot to answer for!

talking leads to arguments

Mrs takes pics of the grub first then sits there watching YT stuff, sometimes of people cooking or eating while she tuck in ????

Well done Mr Pope, only 18 years too late.

4 hours ago, soalbundy said:

talking leads to arguments

... and nobody ever argues on the internet, do they?

What an evil man ... stops millions of people getting divorced and now telling them to talk to each other! 

 

     Since downloading Line app ,  me and her , we dont talk anymore.

      Nuff said ...

 

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 20196 yr by elliss

14 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

He is right and this message is nothing new. For me mobile phones are the cancer of the modern world. They can be as harmful as drugs but in a different way.

 

My phone isn't my best friend. it is a tool to be used sparingly and not to take over face to face communication. Sadly most of the youth can barely make a grunt never mind a conversation. So the Pope is talking on deaf ears, sadly.

Showing your age old mate. That darn Elvis.

My phone is a mobile computer and is used as such in my working life. Its  only going to get better.

In primary school I used a nib pen and inkwell. Then graduate to a parker pen with a self filling bladder and Quink!!

Back then we had pen friends....good luck waiting for a reply.

Learnt to use a slide rule quite proficiently.

Very happy to use a hand held computer these days. much easier. Sure it can and does get used for communication too.

Perhaps the youth can barely make a grunt is because they don't NEED too?

I'm 64 and have happily and readily adapted to technology....had to as a still practising engineer.

No regrets whatsoever.

 

I do struggle with the Jesus thing though.

Didn't he say 'suffer the little children to come unto me?' I think the Catholic priests may have taken that a little too literally. Too many suffered.

 

Edited December 30, 20196 yr by emptypockets

Off topic posts have been removed.

Sound advice imo on the other hand my phone is a tool it is the repository of the some knowledge of mankind down through the ages it holds or provides most answers to anything I ask it just gotta be smart enough to ask it and everyone has one just blows my mind!!

6 hours ago, emptypockets said:

In primary school I used a nib pen and inkwell. Then graduate to a parker pen with a self filling bladder and Quink!!

Back then we had pen friends....good luck waiting for a reply.

Learnt to use a slide rule quite proficiently.

Very happy to use a hand held computer these days. much easier. Sure it can and does get used for communication too.

Perhaps the youth can barely make a grunt is because they don't NEED too?

I'm 64

LOL. I'm way older than you and we had refillable pens when I was at school.

The point isn't that computers are useful, the point is that youths of today hide in their room and only "talk" to imaginary friends. It's not a good thing for the future of society to have loads of people that can't function with real people.

19 minutes ago, Tug said:

Sound advice imo on the other hand my phone is a tool it is the repository of the some knowledge of mankind down through the ages it holds or provides most answers to anything I ask it just gotta be smart enough to ask it and everyone has one just blows my mind!!

Soooooo, what ya gonna do when it doesn't work anymore? Plenty of possible scenarios as to why the internet goes down. In the event of a war, the enemy's internet is the first thing to go down.

39 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Soooooo, what ya gonna do when it doesn't work anymore? Plenty of possible scenarios as to why the internet goes down. In the event of a war, the enemy's internet is the first thing to go down.

Guess I’ll be cracking open the books like we used to do lol but the phone is sure handy!

Talk directly to people at the same table? Innovative idea. Goodness me Mr Pope that is radical.

 

I was at an upmarket restaurant a few days ago, great atmosphere and views.

8 young people at next table, all on their devices busy photographing their food, each other, the napery, cutlery, glassware, and texting.

Little or no conversation between them, and less attention paid to the culinary delights they ordered and consumed.

 

8 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Showing your age old mate. That darn Elvis.

My phone is a mobile computer and is used as such in my working life. Its  only going to get better.

In primary school I used a nib pen and inkwell. Then graduate to a parker pen with a self filling bladder and Quink!!

Back then we had pen friends....good luck waiting for a reply.

Learnt to use a slide rule quite proficiently.

Very happy to use a hand held computer these days. much easier. Sure it can and does get used for communication too.

Perhaps the youth can barely make a grunt is because they don't NEED too?

I'm 64 and have happily and readily adapted to technology....had to as a still practising engineer.

No regrets whatsoever.

 

I do struggle with the Jesus thing though.

Didn't he say 'suffer the little children to come unto me?' I think the Catholic priests may have taken that a little too literally. Too many suffered.

 

Not really showing my age ole boy. I am younger than you for sure. I have used computers all my life in work and still do. My phone is a computer too. I don't take it in the gym or have it by the bed. I don't take it to meals either. I see phones as a necessity but also an evil that people cant seem to control.

 

Gone are the days when people at bus stops, pubs and other places would talk to each other. Instead they get their phone out to look at pictures of food and other rubbish, heads buried in a phone missing a great opportunity to talk with someone new.

 

Have a look yourself, people seem to have forgotten the art of day dreaming, just looking around at the space and world around them. They seem to dislike the freedom of thought and prefer to look at a device that seems to give them comfort.

 

The amount of young people who go the gym taking selfies and pouting is beyond ridiculous and do very little gym work. Mobile phones IMO have help create a narcissistic world of look at me, how great I am.

 

So a phone is a phone. Nothing special and like 'crack' very dangerous.

 

17 hours ago, soalbundy said:

talking leads to arguments

That's why I just grunt at my wife.  Or fart. 

 

As for phones, I have Thai and 1/2 Thai relatives here in the US who come to visit occasionally.  Drive 2 hours to get here.  Then they sit around and poke at their phones and don't say squat. 

 

These days, I cringe when the phone rings.  My Mom is 91 and fading fast.  Old and unhappy. One day she called me 24 times in 2 hours, but didn't talk.  Younger brother just died this month from complications of ALS. Phone call at all hours...

I cant believe that the Pope doesn't have a Smartphone in order to contact God. As a lapsed Catholic I still have a sore <deleted> from my last Confession, (forgive me father for I have sinned)

"I ask myself if you, in your family, know how to communicate or are you like those kids at mealtables where everyone is chatting on their mobile phone ... where there is silence like at a Mass but they don't communicate," the pope said.

 

Why can't you be normal and look at the beautiful things in life? Hallelujah!!!