Strive for heaven, not cell – Pope

THOU SHALT church.

Pope Francis has added another commandment to the holy list of do’s and don’ts: Put away your phones during Mass.

“At some point, the priest during the Mass says, ‘Lift up your hearts,’ ” the pontiff said during a homily in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday. “He does not say, ‘Lift up your cell phones to take pictures.’ ”

The Pope, who has a Twitter following of 14.7 million, called the use of phones during services a “very ugly thing.”

The Holy Father wasn’t just calling out the laity. He chided priests and bishops who fiddle with their phones during mass.

“Please,” he said, “the Mass is not a show. It’s a meeting with the passion and the resurrection of our Lord.”

The message was well received among the faithful outside Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

“I agree,” said Matt Freundt, 38, a salesman visiting from Richmond, Va. “I think it’s disrespectful. It’s a holy place. If you can’t turn the phone off for an hour, something's wrong.”

Carol Petros, 75, a tourist from Michigan, said she saw a young girl take her phone out at St. Patrick’s while her mother kneeled and prayed.

“My first reaction was that it was inappropriate,” Petros said. “Here she was in this beautiful church. I mean, what's so important?” not text in