Catholic Church Updates 'Click to Pray' App
2021-10-24
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1These days, there are computer programs to help people do just about anything - from studying a language to looking for a job.
2There are even apps for praying.
3The Vatican recently released its latest version of the prayer app "Click to Pray."
4Roman Catholic Church leaders said they hope "Click to Pray 2.0" will give people an improved "praying experience" in a fast, online world.
5Earlier this month, seven Catholic officials held a news conference to demonstrate "Click to Pray 2.0."
6It is the first major update of the app since the launch of "Click to Pray" in 2016.
7At the conference, the officials presented to reporters a video showing the app's new functions.
8One is a personal prayer planner.
9It lets users plan their prayer time for each day.
10And then a reminder function tells them to stop, take a break from the rest of the world, and pray.
11"Praying is not a waste of time, as we sometimes think," said Father Frederic Fornos.
12He recently spoke with Reuters news agency about the app.
13He also shared his ideas on the importance of prayer.
14"Prayer," he said, "is like the seed in the darkness of the earth, which will show its fruit in its own good time."
15The prayer app is available in six Western languages and Chinese.
16It gives users issues to pray about.
17This lets users pray together with Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
18For example, users could pray for peace in one part of the world using the app.
19The app also offers a "School of Prayer."
20It gives support to those people who are finding it hard to get started.
21The "School of Prayer" can also help people form prayer groups around the world.
22An Italian priest in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City praised the new app.
23Father Cosimo Schena said the app is especially good for people who have strayed.
24These are people who have left the church for some time and may find it difficult to return.
25"It is an extraordinary thing," the cleric told Reuters, "because it allows you to reach people that you don't physically meet. It becomes a bridge to reach those hearts that sometimes have strayed from God."
26Officials said they know that the app might not be right for everyone.
27It is important to note, they said, that this app is not a substitute for traditional prayer.
28The secretary of the Vatican's communications department is Monsignor Lucio Ruiz.
29He said, "It is not meant to invalidate the other places or ways to pray. It is one more way to reach people who want or need a new way."
30Under Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church has increased its presence on social media.
31The prayer app is another way the church is using technology to reach people
32I'm Anna Matteo.
1These days, there are computer programs to help people do just about anything - from studying a language to looking for a job. 2There are even apps for praying. 3The Vatican recently released its latest version of the prayer app "Click to Pray." Roman Catholic Church leaders said they hope "Click to Pray 2.0" will give people an improved "praying experience" in a fast, online world. 4Earlier this month, seven Catholic officials held a news conference to demonstrate "Click to Pray 2.0." It is the first major update of the app since the launch of "Click to Pray" in 2016. 5At the conference, the officials presented to reporters a video showing the app's new functions. One is a personal prayer planner. It lets users plan their prayer time for each day. And then a reminder function tells them to stop, take a break from the rest of the world, and pray. 6"Praying is not a waste of time, as we sometimes think," said Father Frederic Fornos. 7He recently spoke with Reuters news agency about the app. He also shared his ideas on the importance of prayer. "Prayer," he said, "is like the seed in the darkness of the earth, which will show its fruit in its own good time." 8The prayer app is available in six Western languages and Chinese. It gives users issues to pray about. This lets users pray together with Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. For example, users could pray for peace in one part of the world using the app. 9The app also offers a "School of Prayer." It gives support to those people who are finding it hard to get started. The "School of Prayer" can also help people form prayer groups around the world. 10An Italian priest in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City praised the new app. Father Cosimo Schena said the app is especially good for people who have strayed. These are people who have left the church for some time and may find it difficult to return. 11"It is an extraordinary thing," the cleric told Reuters, "because it allows you to reach people that you don't physically meet. It becomes a bridge to reach those hearts that sometimes have strayed from God." 12Officials said they know that the app might not be right for everyone. It is important to note, they said, that this app is not a substitute for traditional prayer. 13The secretary of the Vatican's communications department is Monsignor Lucio Ruiz. He said, "It is not meant to invalidate the other places or ways to pray. It is one more way to reach people who want or need a new way." 14Under Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church has increased its presence on social media. The prayer app is another way the church is using technology to reach people 15I'm Anna Matteo. 16By Philip Pullella reported this story for Reuters news agency with additional content supplied by Antonio Denti. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 17__________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19cardinal -n. high ranking priest of the Catholic Church 20app (application) -n. a computer program that carries out a specific job 21function -n. the purpose or activity that something (such as an app) does or is used for 22reminder -n. something that causes you to remember or to think about something 23stray -v. to go in a direction that is away from a group or from the place where you should be 24invalidate -v. to weaken or destroy the effect of (something) 25presence -n. the state of being seen or noticed in a place or on a medium where people can see what you are doing