We are hearing on social media that some players are entering churches to find virtual Pokémon at the prompting of their Pokémon Go smartphone game. What are you hearing? How shall we respond, church people? Game on.
Here’s an idea…Be welcoming. Encourage reverence by asking for MERCY for the object they seek to destroy. You have votive candles, right? Encourage them to light a candle, say a prayer and gain graces to enhance supernatural power in your REAL life to attack REAL villains and get to level 7–Heaven!
UPDATE A German cathedral is taking legal action to force the game manufacturer to exclude the ancient building. “The cathedral isn’t a playground.”
This free smartphone game for iOS and Android [download instructions for iOS outside the U.S. here] which now simulates real Pokémon in our real world is hugely popular, in case you haven’t heard. Pokémon Go uses your phone’s ability to track the time and your location and creates around your body a world in which Pokémon are roaming around you at all times, ready to be caught and collected. It encourages users to get out in the world because that’s where it works. Bikes are the ideal transportation. You need internet connection, of course. Back in the 90s this game was popular, so given the nostalgia generated in its adult fans, this Pokémon version with enhanced technology results in mega popularity. Churches are not exempt from the game, so let’s start planning our response!
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