We review Vatican's Click to Pray app

Now if you want to pray, it’s just a click away.

Last month during his Sunday prayer held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis held up a tablet in front of the crowd and, before confirming if he had done it correctly, unveiled “Click to Pray” — the official app of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which connects anyone in the world to the Pontiff’s daily prayers.

Although the app was launched in 2016, and despite the Pope admitting he considered himself a “disaster” when it comes to technology in the past, this was the first time he has unveiled his personal online profile. 

But it wasn’t the first time the pope stepped into the digital world. In January of 2018, during World Communications Day he warned onlookers to be cautious, mentioning in Italian how oftentimes “fake news” goes viral due to its appeal stemming from the “insatiable greed so easily aroused in human beings,” according to ABC News reports.

This month, he focused on the potential strength social media holds within the Catholic Church.

“Internet and social media are a resource of our time — an opportunity to stay in touch with others, to share values and projects, and to express the desire to make a community,” he told the gathered crowd in Italian, according to ABC News.

I decided to try the app myself. Upon downloading the app you chose how to sign up: Facebook, Google, or email. After trying all three methods and having an error pop up (in Spanish, none-the-less) I finally got in. A message appeared on my screen with two hands praying: “We’ve been waiting for you!”

The dashboard is set up with five categories on the bottom: Campaigns, Pray with the Pope, Pray Every Day, Pray with the Network, and lastly Donate. When you get past the congratulatory pop-ups, your home page automatically goes to “Pray with the Pope.”

Pray with the Pope
Each month the Pope sets a universal prayer. For February, he has decided on praying for human trafficking, specifically “for a generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution and of violence.” By scrolling down you can read and pray along with the Pope through an offering prayer. Moreover, under “Proposals for the month,” you can read suggestions on how you physically can aid in the problem at hand, such as brainstorming concrete initiatives with family and friends to help a person who lives in such conditions, or organizing in your parish community a moment of prayer for victims of human trafficking while sharing more information on the topic.

Once you’re done praying, users can click on the orange “Click to Pray” button on the bottom, releasing a satisfying “Thank you for praying!” message while adding your participation to the number of users, now 42,947, who have prayed.

Campaigns
The first category displayed on the bottom of the app, Campaigns, seems to be the least interactive out of the five. Speaking solely on a first-impression basis, it doesn’t seem as fine-tuned as the monthly “Pray with Pope” or daily “Pray Every Day” until digging a bit further. Encompassing a campaign for the entire year, “WYD 2019 — Rosary for Peace” is displayed as the header. But don’t be deceived, after clicking on the arrow next to the brief prayer for the Holy Rosary, users can view exclusive prayers centered on “Mysteries of the Rosary” Monday through Friday.

Pray Every Day 
Accompanied by a little calendar icon, this might be the most helpful category if you’re someone like me who doesn’t pray as often as they probably should. This serves as a fantastic reminder throughout the day, with three simple categories on top: Morning, Afternoon, and Night. This makes it easy to open the app and recite a quick prayer when you have idle time and otherwise might be browsing Facebook or Instagram. The brevity of each prayer kept me focused and encouraged me to actually pray throughout the day.

Pray with the Network 
This category is where the sharing component takes place. Automatically the set-up will remind users of Twitter, with a small box for you to write your prayer (within 300 characters). Somewhat mirroring the concept of “Likes” you might see on other social media networks, in the corner of each prayer states the number of people who have clicked to pray for you. Users also have the option of choosing all languages, or between English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish. The prayers posted vary widely, from praying to land a job someone just applied for, to ending the Church’s sex abuse crisis.

Donate 
The last category of the app, Donate, brings users outside of the app and into the website clicktopray.org. Here is where users can support the app itself, with the default amounts listed ranging from one to 30 euros. Users can also enter a different amount, and chose whether the donation is one-time or monthly.

THE VERDICT
Click to Pray was easy to use and gave me the aspects I shamelessly seek from almost all other networking apps I engage in: fulfillment and validation. The calendar kept me in check throughout the day and was fun to use, as someone who sets a timer on their phone for nearly every event, staying on task throughout the day and clicking that orange button made me feel good. The Pray with Network section was fascinating. I would recommend the app solely for this function if nothing else, as you can read (and pray for) such a wide range of stories from people all around the world. By praying for them, it’s difficult not to feel a connection even without the exchange of words. Akin to receiving a letter by mail, the prayers feel special and intimate, regardless of being placed in the middle of an app. As praying goes digital, the results have potential to be revolutionary.