The Vatican has released an “eRosary” bracelet on Tuesday, which connects to smartphones in an attempt to encourage younger and more tech-oriented Catholics to pray.
The wearable smart device is compatible with an iOS and Android app and connects to the free eRosary "Click to Pray" app, which was launched in January and is designed to teach users how to pray with Rosary beads and can be activated by making the sign of a cross.
Wearables for Christ: Vatican Launches New ‘Click to Pray eRosary’ https://t.co/LEE6vj0ry1 pic.twitter.com/D5l89u1nYG
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In a press release by the Holy See Press Office on 14 October, Fr Frédéric Fornos, SJ said “In a world of indifference and in the face of so many injustices, poverty, elementary rights denied, praying for peace in the world means reconciling ourselves in our daily relationships, with the poorest, with the stranger, with different cultures and spiritual and religious traditions, but also with our land, our forests, our rivers and oceans.”
“The rosary is a beautiful spiritual tradition for contemplating the Gospel with Mary, it is a simple and humble prayer,” he said.
Users can synchronize the eRosary to the app, which features guides as well as directions on how to pray, pray with the pope, and pray with an online network.
Once the device activates, users are provided a list of prayer options, including the ability to store and keep track of completed prayers.
The Vatican launched the gadget under its “Click to Pray” scheme and the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (WPN), which is a digital network connecting people all over the world through prayer.
WPN said in a press release on Tuesday: “This project brings together the best of the Church’s spiritual tradition and the latest advances of the technological world."
The Bluetooth and water-resistant eRosary costs over $100 and is available on both Amazon and the Vatican’s own website and is made up of 10 black agate and hematite beads and a silver metal cross which detects movement and stores users' data.
Traditionally, beads on the Rosary represent different Catholic prayers in sets of 10 "Hail Marys."
