Pope’s “Click to Pray” app launched in time for the World Youth Day 2019

IT IS MORE EASY AND CONVENIENT now to connect to Pope Francis and to Catholics around the world to pray in one voice and network right from mobile phones.

Pope Francis launched an online platform called “Click to Pray” during his Angelus address last Sunday, January 20 in Vatican which makes it the official prayer platform for World Youth Day 2019 in Panama from January 22 to 27.

Accessible via web and mobile app both for iOS and Android users, Click to Pray connects Catholics to a global network to share prayer intentions via smartphones. The Pontiff encouraged the members of the Church, especially the youth, to use this platform to pray the “Rosary for Peace”.

It also features a space where users can post prayer intentions and view other prayer requests in English and five other different languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and German.

It tracks how many Catholics around the world have prayed for each prayer posted.

It also highlights Pope’s monthly prayer intention, all of the mysteries of the rosary, and daily prayers for morning, afternoon, and night.

This app has an accompanying website, clicktopray.org.

BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE NETIZENS

Let’s go back in 2012 when the Holy See launched Pontiff’s first personal social media presence through Twitter. Since then, it gave former Pope (Emeritus) Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis direct and immediate access to millions of people around the world by posting messages in few characters.

On December 12 that year, Pope Benedict sent his first Tweet during a live event at the Vatican attended by thousands which says “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart. — Benedict XVI .”

This Tweet was immediately retweeted and responded thousands of times.

Today, Twitter handle @pontifex and its eight related language accounts still continues to garner millions of followers which makes it one of the most-followed global leader on the social networking platform.

MORE APPS FOR CATHOLICS

There are several mobile apps which can aide Catholics’ spiritual and prayer life. Laudate is a single-source app for a variety of Catholic needs including an interactive rosary, daily readings, the Liturgy of the Hours, Roman Missal, among others.

iBreviary which contains all liturgical texts for the Office and other prayers. And for news and other information about the Church, Catholic News Agency (CNA) mobile app is up for download for free.

Spotify, a digital music service, gives users and subscribers an access to thousands of Catholic songs and hymns.

Whether for prayers, news, or music, technology and the digital media can become a public space to form a network of people working and helping together for one another.

These digital platforms are making the internet, according to Pope Francis, a place “to stay in touch with others, to share values and projects and to express the desire to form a community.”