POPE: Embrace offline!
Life not in the cloud, waiting to be downloaded…
https://cruxnow.com/world-youth-day-panama/2019/01/27/at-prayer-vigil-with-youth-pope-goes-full-on-hipster-and-techie/
PANAMA CITY, Panama - Though the sloth is considered one of Panama’s national animals, no one could accuse Pope Francis of being one this week during his visit to this Central American country, which now included a four-hour long vigil on Saturday where he broke out into hipster language, using words such as “app,” “influencer,” “cloud,” and “tutorial.” He also told the thousands gathered that God loves everyone, with their sins and imperfections, and that salvation comes through this love. The worst fall, Francis said, the one that “can ruin our lives, is to remain down and not allow ourselves to be helped up.” Mary, he said, wasn’t an “influencer,” yet she became the “most influential woman in history,” because of her “yes” to God. Life, he said, is not “a salvation up ‘in the cloud,’ and waiting to be downloaded, a new ‘app’ to be discovered, or a technique of mental self-improvement,” he said. It’s not a “tutorial” for the latest news either. “The salvation the Lord offers us is an invitation to be part of a love story interwoven with our personal stories; it is alive and wants to be born in our midst so that we can bear fruit just as we are, wherever we are and with everyone all around us,” Francis said.
The pope’s words came on Saturday evening in Panama, as he led a prayer vigil in the John Paul II field, located some 15 miles from downtown, and to where young pilgrims participating in World Youth Day had to walk as part of this week-long pilgrimage. Despite the heat and the humidity that forced fire trucks to throw water to many of the pilgrims as they walked towards the field, the young people weren’t brought down, and set up a small festival-like camp as they will spend the night in this field, waiting for Sunday’s closing Mass, set to start at 8 a.m. to avoid the risk of heat stroke. During his talk, the pope mostly read from his prepared remarks, something he’s been doing more as his pontificate progresses, conscious of the fact that if he goes full-on off-the-cuff, his core message might be lost in a soundbite. Part of his speech was a response to the witness shared by several people during the vigil, that included prayer, singing, and was set to close with eucharistic adoration.