Robot priest named BlessU-2 delivers blessings to a congregation while beaming light from its palms

A ROBOT priest that hands out blessings like a cash machine has been unveiled in Germany.

BlessU-2 delivers words "inspired by God" in five different languages, in a male or female voice.

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Simply select the blessing you're after on its touch screen and the machine will raise its hands in prayer.

Light emits from its hands as it asks the almighty's face to "shine upon you" and "show you mercy".

Its mouth moves and its eyes rotate as it spins divine affirmations.

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Its unfortunate eyebrow movement ruins the effect somewhat, with the mechanical brow jerking around from looking warm and welcoming to being utterly menacing.

Once it's all over, there's the option to print a receipt of the blessing for your future records.

BlessU-2 is being presented to church-goers in the town of Wittenberg, Germany, which is more closely associated with Martin Luther and the birth of Protestantism.

Half a millennium later, the bot has been introduced to spark debate about religion and the role of artificial intelligence in society.

"We wanted people to consider if it is possible to be blessed by a machine, or if a human being is needed," Stephan Krebs of the Protestant church behind the initiative, .

Technology is taking over religious ceremonies in Britain, too.

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The Sun Online took a look around the London crematorium which lets you livestream your funeral.

Kemnal Park Crematorium offers a Skype-style package and will film and broadcast the entire ceremony online.

And church leaders are getting increasingly tech-savvy.

Twitter fan Pope Francis was spotted with sticker over his iPad selfie camera to block snooping hackers during a service in 2015.

He's getting chummy with tech giants in the hope it might make religion more accessible, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg paid him a visit in 2016.

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