The embrace of technology is a great counter-argument to all the “naysayers” who bring up past Science vs. Catholic Church conflicts (e.g: Galileo vs. Catholic Church). I even heard that Pope Benedict is using youtube to explain why condoms are useless in Africa. And they installed Solar cells on the rooves of the Vatican! Here is a shot of something I witnessed with my own eyes: the first thing someone sees when entering (and leaving) the Bonn Minster:
Translation (although not really necessary): Collecting for the preservation of the Basilica. It costs 300euro/day for upkeep of the Minster.
And, with the miracle of modern communication technology, that cash or credit goes straight into the accounts – no need to wait in line at the bank. Which leaves a pilgrim more time to visit these impressive architectural wonders, no doubt also technological wonders in their time:
Note: To avoid confusion, the last two pictures are actually of the Cathedral in Cologne – not the Bonn Minster. However, since the money gets deposited into the same account, I figured it was ok…
Dan
If your back that way again, perhaps you could ask the proprietors for a cup of cold water and something to eat.
It would appear the importance Jesus placed on a cup of cold water and something to eat got pushed to the back room – clearly not His expectation…..
An electronic offering plate, nice! A 13th century church is ahead of my 21st century church. It looks like that pin pad supports EMV… ahead of most merchants in North America, kudos.