Pope Francis had to tell his bishops to stop looking at their mobile phones when they were supposed to be praying.
The Pope made the announcement during his weekly audience in St Peter’s Square in Rome.
He criticised the Catholic faithful for not putting their phones away even when they were at mass.
The Pope said that Mass was a time for prayer and not a show.
He said: “At a certain point the priest leading the ceremony says ‘lift up our hearts’. He doesn’t say ‘lift up our mobile phones to take photographs’ – it’s a very ugly thing’.
“It’s so sad when I’m celebrating mass here or inside the basilica and I see lots of phones held up – not just by the faithful, but also by priests and bishops! Please!”
He said that he felt sad when he sees so many phones being held up and added that even priests and bishops were taking photos.
The Pope once suggested that young people would be better off if they were to carry bibles rather than phones.
Pope Francis doesn’t use a mobile phone in public, but he is not averse to social media.
He has millions of Twitter followers and is often happy to pose for selfies with members of the public.
Pope criticises bishops for using phones during mass
