'iPriest' launches Arabic app for Catholic prayers to skirt Islamic bans
Tech-savvy priest says iBreviary in Arabic aimed at providing daily prayers for Christian congregations in Muslim countries where Catholic breviary is censored
The tech-savvy Father Paolo Padrini, 41, who has earned the nickname 'the iPriest' Photo: AP
By Tom Kington, Rome
3:47PM BST 14 Apr 2014
A tech-savvy priest who has worked on social media technology for the Vatican is launching a new app he claims will challenge censorship of Christian prayers in Muslim countries.
Launched on Saturday through iTunes, iBreviary in Arabic will give Arabic-speaking priests all the daily prayers they need on their iPhones, enabling them to skirt bans in the sale of the Catholic breviary in parts of the Islamic world.
"This app opens a door for religious freedom," said Father Paolo Padrini, 41, who has earned the nickname 'the iPriest' for his previous work advising the Pontifical Council for Social Communications on new media and his coordination of papal web portal Pope2You.
Pope Francis is a firm backer of new media initiatives including his Twitter feed, calling the internet "a gift from God".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10765588/iPriest-launches-Arabic-app-for-Catholic-prayers-to-skirt-Islamic-bans.html
