Worshipers Can Pray Now, Pay Later

Worshipers at a church in northern Spain who find themselves short of cash when the collection basket comes around can now make donations the modern way: through a credit card.

“Since we have a habit of using credit cards in our society, I thought it would be easier for the church to obtain donations this way, and also much safer,” said Roberto Asenjo, priest of San Claudio Roman Catholic Church.

A few days before Christmas, a shoebox-sized machine was installed on a wall inside the small church.

It works much like an automatic teller machine: insert a credit card. But instead of receiving cash, the person operating the machine types in the amount of the donation. Out comes a receipt.