Five Dublin churches to introduce contactless card machines
Five Catholic churches in Dublin are trialling contactless card machines to counteract the decline in cash donations.
The Archdiocese of Dublin said the pilot scheme is being rolled out in a bid to boost the Church's finances as the number of Mass-goers dwindles.
Card machines will be installed in the back of the churches.
However, a spokeswoman said that the new technology doesn't mean an end to the traditional basket collections.
According to the Times Ireland edition, there was a 19% decrease in the value of donations in the Archdiocese of Dublin between 2016 and 2017.
The paper reports that the decrease in donations was down to €2.4m in 2017 from €3.1m in 2016.
The scheme is set to be trialled in more parishes in the coming months.
A similar initiative has already been introduced in the Church of England.
