Just how we were ever to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation was always going to be problematic, especially for Catholics, so we should be grateful to our Protestant brethren in Germany, who have come up with just the thing: a robot priest. BlessU2, as the robot is catchily named, can raise its arms in benediction, speak in a male or female voice, and dispense blessings in a variety of languages. The robot is meant to “provoke debate”, we are told.
I am left scratching my head, but here are a few thoughts that cross my mind.
