Pontiff advises Christians on the best way to have dinner

olamide oni

November 12, 2015 4:23 PM

Pope Frances advises Christians on the best way to enjoy a meal.

Pope Francis gestures during his Sunday Angelus prayer in Saint Peter"s square at the Vatican November 1, 2015.

On Friday, 11th November, during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis urged catholics to continue the tradition of a family meal. He said they should make sure to keep all distractions, such as smartphones away, and switch off the TV to enjoy mealtime with their family.

“The sharing of a meal — and therefore, other than of food, also of affections, of stories, of events — is a fundamental experience,” he said.

He reminded catholics that mealtimes are the best times to sort out all family issues. “If in a family there’s something that doesn’t work, or a hidden wound, at the table it’s understood immediately.”

He also asked them to make sure that all distractions should be kept at bay. According to him, how is it possible to have a quality meal when relatives “barely ever eat together, or (a family) which doesn’t talk at the table but watches television, or a smartphones?".

He also asked families not to spend too lavishly on food.

“In rich countries we are persuaded to spend excessively on excessive nourishment, and then we do so again to remedy the excess. And this senseless affair diverts our attention from real hunger, of the body and the soul,” he said.

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