In the text, released by the Holy See’s press office, His Holiness states that “the use of new technologies does not replace human relationships, respects the person’s dignity, and helps to face the crises of our time.”

Francis said, “If we spend more time with our cell phones than with people, something is wrong”, as “the screen makes us forget that behind it there are real people who breathe, laugh, and cry”, so “how I would like for us to look less at screens and look each other in the eyes more!.”

A note published on the Vatican News website points out that this video, disseminated through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, was recorded in the days before his February 14 admission to the Gemelli Polyclinic, where he was hospitalized for 38 days due to bilateral pneumonia.

The Bishop of Rome says in his message to the Catholics worldwide that technology must be used well and “cannot benefit only a few while others are excluded.”

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