Pope Francis hosted a Google+ Hangout yesterday, where he chatted with the children of the world.
It was truly an opportunity of a lifetime when Pope Francis brought out his webcam and microphone and chatted live with a few chosen children of the world. The children represented countries like the United States, Brazil, India, and Spain. The children were asked to discuss how technology helps with education, but they ended up discussing a lot more about their dreams for the future.
Though the Google+ Hangout was meant to discuss the contribution of technology, Pope Francis had an interesting confession when Alicia, a 15-year-old student from Spain, asked Pope Francis if he enjoyed taking photos with his computer. The pontiff admitted that he doesn’t indulge in any computer photography.
“Do you want me to tell you the truth? I’m a disaster with machines. I don’t know how to work a computer. What a shame!”
The two American students who got the rare opportunity to talk with the pope described him as everything they had envisioned.
Teynor Krason, a senior at Kearney High School said, “In that interview, he just seemed like a very nice guy who just wanted to hear what we thought, what we had to say.”
Though he may have confessed about his lack of expertise in working with technology, Pope Francis is one of the most forward-thinking pontiffs to date. A lack of technological expertise hasn’t stopped Francis from becoming the most high-tech pope ever.
The Google+ Hangout – which put the pope in front of a webcam and allowed him to answer questions from children around the world – was his second time hosting such an event. The discussion was broadcasted on the Google+ page of Scholas Ocurrentes, an independent educational group Pope Francis “has entrusted with the mission of uniting schools worldwide, regardless of race, gender, class, religion or sexual orientation,” according to Google.
Pope Francis hosted his first Google+ Hangout last year and plans to make it an annual event. The pope has regularly praised the internet and acknowledged its power in uniting the world. Besides using the internet with the assistance of his office, the pope also tweets frequently. Least we might forget, the pope is also famous for accepting multiple requests for selfies.
With over 5.4 million followers on Twitter, it is safe to say Pope Francis is by far one of the most social media savvy of religious heads. With the Google+ Hangout, the Pope even gets to meet people who would normally never make to the Vatican .
[Image Credit | Scholas Occurentes, The Verge]
