Thou shalt not send an SMS on Good Friday

An archbishop has called for Christians to make a sacrifice to God by not sending text messages on Good Friday.

The Archbishop of Salerno, Gerardo Pierro, has called for Good Friday to be dubbed the "day of short messages abstinence", a catchy title designed to encourage the faithful to see it as a holy day rather than mindlessly communing with their friends.

"Good Friday should be spent in meditation and not interrupted by the constant sound of SMS messages arriving and time being dedicated to writing replies," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

He explained that he hoped his appeal would emphasise the church's position on the technology.

"In a world dominated by the culture of possession, we should try to focus more on meditation. Leaving behind our mobile phones for a day will surely help," he said.