Pope Francis hosts Google Hangout with kids

Pope Francis embraces a boy and a girl during a meeting with young people at Manila university, January 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Pope Francis increased his accessibility this week by hosting a Google Hangouts session with disabled children this week.

The chat was available through Google and YouTube, and featured the pontiff having candid conversations with the youths in Spanish. 

The online meeting was organised by the Pope's Scholas Occurrentes, an educational group that promotes technological usage. 

One child asked if the Pope enjoys taking pictures and uploading them online. Francis answered that he is not technologically savvy.

"Do you want me to tell you the truth?" he began. "I am old-fashioned when it comes to computers. I'm a dinosaur. I don't know how to work a computer. What a pity, huh?"

A 14-year-old Argentinean spoke about his tablet, leading Pope Francis to ask, "Is it difficult? I don't have one."

While Francis has called the internet a "gift from God," he has also warned against its pitfalls. 

In August he implored altar servers not to spend too much time "chatting on the Internet or with smartphones, watching TV soap operas, and (using) the products of technological progress, which should simplify and improve the quality of life, but distract attention away from what is really important."

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI also used social media to reach people across the world. Under his leadership, the papal Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook app were created. 

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