The Vatican Beat us to It...

     Just this year, Strake Jesuit announced its intention to give students an I-pad as a tool for learning. However, not until next year will we actually have those pieces of technology. In the mean time, the Vatican has released an app, MISSIO, which will communicate to the general populace the comings and goings of the Vatican.
     Although the fact that the centuries old Church beat Strake Jesuit to embracing the I-Pad is in and of itself hilarious, it also speaks to the adaptability of the Church. Much like the U.S. constitution, the Church has been able to act in accordance with the changing times, and has survived throughout time because of it.
     Take for example the sacrament of Penance. Back in the beginning of the Church, Penance was a two-to-three year ordeal which only happened to a person once or twice. Now, however, confession and penance happen often.
     This is in part due to the role of Irish priest who were attempting to convert, and keep, the Irish people in Catholicism. The new-converts were having trouble adapting to the lifestyle change, and were sinning mortally and often. Rather than consign an entire island to hell, the Church decided to make more lenient and specific the penance of the perpetrator.
     So although it is silly to watch Pope Francis attempt to make an I-Pad work, it's still important to understand the significance of that action.