Addiction to gadgets can ruin family life, Pope Francis has said at his weekly audience in St Peter's Square, comparing modern children to pensioners.
The pontiff has frequently spoken of the importance of strong families and recently held a three-week synod on the subject. This week he warned the crowds in Vatican City that the practice of eating meals together is vanishing as technology replaces relationships.
"A family that almost never eats together, or in does not talk at the table but instead watches the television, or smart phones, is not a close family," said the Pope.
"When children at the table are attached to the computer or the phone and don't listen to each other, this is not a family, this is a pensioner," he said.
Francis highlighted the importance of the family evening meal in bringing families together and sharing both the happy and sad events of the day.
"In the family, if something is wrong, or if there's some hidden wound, at the table you see it right away," Pope Francis told thousands of pilgrims. "In family life we learn about togetherness from a young age, which is a very beautiful virtue the family teaches us to share, with joy, the blessings of life.
"Sitting at table for the family dinner, sharing our meal and the experiences of our day, is a fundamental image of togetherness and solidarity. Its symbol, its icon, is the family gathered around the table, partaking of a meal together – and therefore not merely food, but also sentiments, stories, and events.
"It is a fundamental experience," he said. "Sadly the family meal, this great symbol of togetherness is disappearing in some societies."
The importance of family mealtimes, which the Pope referred to as a "sure thermometer" of quality relationships, has been stressed by Family Education Trust who welcomed Francis' remarks, MailOnline reports.
"Family mealtimes should be embraced as a daily opportunity to cultivate a sense of togetherness," said Norman Wells, the director of the UK charity. "Parents and children have time to talk through the events of the day and share their joys and sorrows."
The Catholic Church's recent summit on the family offered a more flexible approach to offering divorcees the sacraments but did not change the Church's teaching on homosexuality or abortion.
Recent scares about Francis' health have come after a difficult period for the Catholic Church. There have been several allegations of abuse, a priest was fired after coming out as openly gay and criticising the Church's "homophobic" atmosphere. Last week two Vatican officials were arrested after leaking confidential documents detailing the scale of corruption and abuse within the holy city.
