Apple CEO Tim Cook meets ‘mobile phone critic’ Pope Francis in Vatican

The Vatican did not disclose what transpired during the one-to-one discussion between Pope Francis and Tim Cook, the CEO of the $2.4 trillion tech giant Apple.

Pope Francis has often called for people to limit the use of their mobile phones. In 2019, he urged people to put their mobile phones away on the dinner table and get talking, a BBC report stated. He has regularly warned people against becoming slaves to their mobile phones.

On Monday, the 85-year-old Pope met Tim Cook, the chief executive officer of Apple, the technology giant which manufactures iPhones. The Vatican did not disclose what transpired during the one-to-one discussion between the Pope and the CEO of the $2.4 trillion tech behemoth, Reuters reported.

In 2016, Cook had met the Pope at the Vatican during a 15-minute interaction. The meeting had taken place a week after the Pope had met Google's parent Alphabet's executive Eric Schmidt, CNN had reported.

Pope Francis shakes hands with Apple chief Tim Cook during a private audience at the Vatican. (Reuters)

Pope Francis meets with Apple chief Tim Cook during a private audience at the Vatican.

Although Pope Francis patiently allows people to take selfies with him, he has a mixed relationship with the cell phones. Last year, he interrupted his general audience when an aide passed him a cell phone and took an urgent call from a senior Vatican official.

"Free yourself from the addiction to mobile phones," he told young people in 2019. "When you become a slave to your mobile phone, you lose your freedom."

“We have to get back to communicate with our families”, he had added.