Polish church introduces fingerprint scanner for children

Gryfow Slaski

A Polish priest in southern Poland, has found a high-tech solution to queues of schoolchildren who need to have their confirmation books signed after each Mass. Father Grzegorz Sowa has installed an electronic reader in his church for the children to leave their fingerprints, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily reports.

The pupils register their fingerprints every time they go to church over three years. If they attend 200 Masses they will be free from the obligation of having to take an exam before their confirmation, the paper said.

The pupils in the town of Gryfow Slaski said they liked the idea and they also like Father Grzegorz, who thought it up.

Usually in Polish churches, children have to line up after Mass each week to get the priest's signature in their confirmation notebooks. "This is much easier", one pupil said. "Sometime you have to wait for ages. Now instead there is more time for chat with Fr Sowa, but you don't have to hang around queuing if you are in a hurry to go somewhere else."

Churches in Poland are very overcrowded on a Sunday. Many have installed loudspeakers on the outside of the building so that people who can't fit in are still able to hear Mass. Crowds will still gather for Mass in the snow and rain.