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Pope Francis: Put Your Phone Away at the Dinner Table

Think checking your phone at dinner is rude? You now have official papal backup.
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Think checking your phone at dinner is rude? You now have official papal backup.

In an address to Catholics in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, Pope Francis warned that technology threatened the "togetherness" of the family meal, reported the Catholic News Agency.

"A family that almost never eats together, or that never speaks at the table but looks at the television or the smartphone, is hardly a family," the Pope said.

"Sitting at table for the family dinner, sharing our meal and the experiences of our day, is a fundamental image of togetherness and solidarity," he continued. "Sadly, the family meal, this great symbol of togetherness, is disappearing in some societies."

Related: Pope Francis Says Family Is 'Factory of Hope'

Pope Francis also criticized food as being "wantonly wasted" instead of shared with the less fortunate.

It's not the first time the Pope has spoken out against the misuse of technology. In August 2014, he warned that the Internet and smartphones "should simplify and improve the quality of life, but distract attention away from what is really important."

But Francis is no Luddite. He has also called the Internet a "gift from God," has an active Twitter account, and even participates in Google Hangouts.