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The Vatican has launched a new ‘eRosary ’ bracelet in the hopes of appealing to younger, more tech-savvy generations.
The wearable gadget, which costs $109 (£85), is designed to be worn as a bracelet and is activated by making the sign of a cross.
The bracelet features 10 black agate and hematite rosary beads, plus a silver “smart cross” that detects movement.
“Bridging tradition to modernism by simple lines and curves – this is our design philosophy,” the Click to Pray website explains.
“Black agate and hematite beads are combined with a neatly finished cross, symbolising the ever enduring human faith.”
Show all 55 1 /55Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park, in Dublin
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis arrives at Phoenix Park for a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam. The vigil coincides with the Phoenix park mass which is taking place in Dublin held by Pope Francis. Excavations at the site in 2017 revealed underground structures which held babies bodies with ages ranging from 35 weeks to three years old with most of the dead buried in the 1950s when the facility was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a Catholic religious order of nuns who received unmarried pregnant women to give birth
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures The names of the victims are read out as a vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A member of the clergy carries a bowl of incense
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Members of the public pray as they watch Pope Francis deliver a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis attends the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Members of the public wave at Pope Francis as he travels through the city
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis arrives at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A model of a pope is placed in the window above a bar as crowds wait for Pope Francis to travel through the city
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures
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Pope Francis visits Ireland – in pictures A message left by Pope Francis in the visitors book at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park
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The bracelet syncs up to the accompanying “Click to Pray” app, which is designed to help Catholic users pray.
The app tracks a user's progress and also contains visual and audio explanations of the rosary.
Users can choose from three ways of praying, including standard rosary, a contemplative rosary or a thematic rosary.
The traditional rosary is used to aid prayer and meditation . Its beads are counted as prayers are recited.
The gadget can also be used to track health data, with the website stating that the device encourages users to “have a better lifestyle”.
Taiwan-based tech company GadgTek Inc developed the gadget, which is water-resistant and compatible with Android and iOS smartphones .
The launch of the accessory comes after Pope Francis criticised people who wear crucifixes as fashion items , labelling it “abuse”.
In 2018, the Pope spoke at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican and said the religious symbol should be “contemplated and understood” rather than commercialised as a trendy accessory.
Bracelet syns to an app which helps Catholic users pray (Click to Pray) “The crucifix is not an ornamental object or a clothing accessory which is sometimes abused,” he said.
"The image of Jesus crucified reveals the mystery of the death of the Son as the supreme act of love, the source of life and salvation for humanity of all times."
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