Pope Francis Cutouts Let Fans Pose For Selfies Ahead Of Papal Visit To Philippines

Pope Francis Is Popping Up All Over The Place

The Pope has been popping up all over the place in the Philippines to pose for selfies with fans.

Or so it would appear.

Life-size cardboard cutouts of the pontiff are being placed in churches, schools and malls near the capital Manila, to encourage "papal fever" before Francis visits the country in January 2015.

Posing with the pope

The cutouts are the work of a church radio station, and can be spotted in locations including the Mall of Asia, The Philippines' largest shopping centre.

It remains to be seen what Francis himself thinks of the photos, as he recently warned young people that they are wasting too much time on "futile things" like smartphones, daytime TV and the internet.

Pop-up Pope in the Philippines

Francis gave the message to over 50,000 young servers who were on a pilgrimage to Rome in August, suggesting that while technology is a positive thing, it should be giving us more time to enjoy the things that matter.

He has also said he thinks the internet is a "gift from God" and could help to create more peace between humans - but repeated his message that we need to learn how to live offline, too.

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