Can Catholic priests celebrate mass with iPad?

MANILA, Philippines – All sorts of business over the world are replacing their paper manuals with iPads, but what about the Catholic church?

Definitely not at the altar, according to Albay Bishop Joel Baylon.

While the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has yet to issue its official policy regarding these gadgets, Baylon believes iPads should not be used to celebrate Mass.

“The iPad is not appropriate for the sanctity of the altar. It can be both secular and mundane, making it unfit to replace the Missal or the other books that are set aside for the Liturgy, and the books that are made only for the altar,” Baylon told Church-controlled news site YouthPinoy on Thursday, August 16.

Baylon discouraged his fellow priests from using electronic Bibles, Missals on iPads, or other tablet computers to replace the Holy Books.

These devices are not made for the Eucharist, he noted.

However, the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Youth Chairman would consider using an iPad in “extraordinary” circumstances, such as during travel or lack of access to a Bible or Missal.

“There are exemptions, but this should not be for general use,” Baylon said.

Despite his reluctance to replace the paper-based Holy Books with iPads, the bishop told priests to blog about their homilies and establish online presence to gather and care for a “virtual flock.”

That way, according to Baylon, the Catholic youth can use social media to evangelize their “unchurched” peers. – Rappler.com