The Vatican has just launched a new rosary bracelet in a bid to appeal to tech-savvy young people.
The gadget, which is called the eRosary, is designed to be worn as a bracelet and is activated by making the sign of a cross.
Priced at $109 (£85), the bracelet features 10 black agate and hematite rosary beads, alongside a silver ‘smart cross’ which detects movement.
The device then connects to the Click to Pray eRosary app – designed to help young Catholics pray more.
Taiwan-based tech company GadgTek Inc are the brains behind the new invention and they appear to have gone all out with the device.
Not only is the rosary waterproof and Bluetooth-friendly, but the new gadget features three different ways of praying – standard rosary, a contemplative rosary or a thematic rosary. It also contains a variety of songs and prayers.
What’s more, the wearable piece can be used to track health data.
In a statement, Click to Pray said: ‘This project brings together the best of the Church’s spiritual tradition and the latest advances of the technological world.
‘Aimed at the peripheral frontiers of the digital world where the young people dwell, the Click To Pray eRosary serves as a technology-based pedagogy to teach the young how to pray the Rosary, how to pray it for peace, how to contemplate the Gospel.’
The new tech comes after Pope Francis criticised individuals who wear crucifixes as fashion items, labelling it as ‘abuse’ in a speech.
But this is not the first time the Catholic Church has attempted to reach out to younger generations.
Last year, a Catholic evangelical group launched “Follow JC Go!” – a religious take on the popular Pokemon Go gaming app. But instead of Pokemon characters, players had to ‘catch’ saints or bible characters.
We’ve reached out to The Vatican’s press office (yes, that does exist) to find out more about the thought process behind these creations, and will update this article if we hear back.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/18/the-vatican-just-launched-an-erosary-bracelet-to-appeal-to-catholic-young-people-10941033/
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