Phones in church are ‘like having Satan stashed away in your pocket’, says archbishop

Catholics should take an hour-long fast from their smartphones while in church during Lent, the Archbishop of Lahore has said.

Archbishop Sebastian Shaw called for “an hour of fasting from smartphones to avoid distractions during the 14 stations of the Via Crucis and Sunday Mass.”

“Mobile phones are like having Satan stashed away in your pockets when you come to church,” he added.

According to AsiaNews, the archbishop said young Pakistanis were becoming addicted to their phones. "Young people keep sending messages even while they are praying," he said.