Pope Francis told teenagers that they should control their smartphone use. In a special teens-only mass held at the Vatican Sunday, the pontiff reminded his audience that "happiness is not an app" and that owning the latest version of smartphones cannot help with personal growth.
The pope addressed about 70,000 teenagers, between the ages of 13 to 16, who gathered at the St. Peter's Square. "Your happiness has no price," Pope Francis said in his homily, per the Vatican Radio.
"It cannot be bought and sold: it is not an application you download on a mobile phone." He also told the teens that growing in freedom and love cannot be acquired through owning the best smartphones.
In connecting with his audience further, Pope Francis pulled out an iPhone and illustrated how living without Jesus is almost similar to having a smartphone without a support signal. He reminded the teenagers that in life, they always have the support of a network, referring to these as family, friends, schools and the Church.
Dear Young People, with the grace of God you can become authentic and courageous Christians, witnesses to love and peace.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 24, 2016
Pope Francis Heard Confessions From Teens
Following the mass, Pope Francis proceeded to hear the confessions of 16 teenagers in the public venue. Per Catholic News Service, this was not planned in his itinerary as 150 priests were already there to do the service to the kids.
A 15-year-old teenage girl admitted she was trembling before her confession with the pontiff. "But as soon as I sat down I had the feeling of being next to a normal person rather than the pope," said Anna Taibi, via France 24.
* EN: Each time we go to confession, God embraces us. God rejoices! * PT: Cada vez que nos confessamos, Deus abraça-nos, Deus faz festa! * ES: Cada vez que nos confesamos, Dios nos abraza, ¡Dios hace fiesta! * FR: Chaque fois que nous nous confessons, Dieu nous embrasse, Dieu fait la fête! * ITA: Ogni volta che noi ci confessiamo, Dio ci abbraccia, Dio fa festa! * DE: Jedes Mal, wenn wir beichten, umarmt Gott uns, feiert Gott ein Fest! #Misericórdia, #Barmherzigkeit, #Miséricorde, #Mercy, #Cattolico, #Católico, #Katholik, #Catholique, #catholic A photo posted by Pope Francis (@franciscus) on Apr 23, 2016 at 6:03am PDT
Pope Francis, Social Media Rock Star
The reminders and the times spent with teenagers come as Pope Francis is increasingly becoming popular on social media, the online platform most teenagers love using. On his Twitter account, @Pontifex has over nine million followers and he recently opened the Instagram account, @Franciscus, where there are over two million followers. The pope, known for his tech-savvy skills, also loves taking a selfie with the people, per Washington Post.
