Whether it’s online shopping, banking or even dating, it’s as if we can live our lives entirely online. This is why the news about the banning of cellphones in all classes across Ontario next school year came as a surprise to me. The exceptions to the ban are when they are used as part of a teacher’s lesson, or for students with medical or special needs.

VATICAN – As robotics play an increasingly greater role in today's world, their technological capabilities must not outpace ethical concerns, said a number of speakers at the Pontifical Academy for Life's workshop on "Robo-ethics: Humans, Machines and Health."

VATICAN – Technology holds the potential to benefit all of humankind, but it also poses risky and unforeseen results, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – The president of Microsoft, Brad Smith, told Pope Francis that a "human voice" was needed to speak up in the world of technology today.

VATICAN – Even though today’s modern tools and technologies are hardly human, the Pontifical Academy for Life is zeroing in on the world of robots and machines powered by artificial intelligence.

VATICAN CITY – While the Swiss Guard's halberds and uniforms have remained largely unchanged over the centuries, its ceremonial helmets are now a product of 21st-century technology.

VATICAN – Pope Francis launched an app Sunday called “Click to Pray,” which connects Catholics to a global network to share prayer intentions via their smartphones.

VATICAN – In the technology support department at the Vatican Museums, Villanova University student Justin Myers is spending a semester creating virtual tours of galleries, part of a larger project to make the museums accessible to everyone.

VATICAN – Fully automated and autonomous lethal weapons systems must be banned now before they become a reality in tomorrow's wars, a Vatican representative said.

ROME – At a time of technological and scientific progress, "we ought to feel shame" for not having advanced in "humanity and solidarity" enough to feed the world's poor, Pope Francis said.

On June 1, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada held a national event that many of today’s young people would find highly challenging: spending one hour away from their smartphones.

VATICAN – Journalists must meticulously uphold their craft of responsible reporting and not be tempted into partisan or ideological warfare, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis often cozies up to young admirers as they raise their smartphones to snap selfies.  But it seems he may be having second thoughts about humouring the selfie generation.

ROME – While taking selfies can be an occasion to capture treasured memories, it can also be a sign that young men and women are deprived of meaningful human interaction with others, Pope Francis said.

The kids at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener, Ont., are breaking down walls with science, or more accurately, one particular wall in the middle of their school gym.