Scots catholic church backs praying app promoted by Russell Brand
US-based Hallow can be downloaded for free but then offers a paid-for subscription costing about £55 a year to use.
The Catholic Church in Scotland has backed a bizarre praying app which was promoted by Russell Brand and is facing an EU ban.
US-based Hallow can be downloaded for free but then offers a paid-for subscription costing about £55 a year to use.
It provides audio-guided Bible stories, meditations, sleep, and Christian music as well as running community praying challenges.
The company – which has a strong Catholic focus – has a number of celebrity partnerships including the movie star Mark Wahlberg.
It announced last week it has cut ties with Brand after he was charged with rape.
CEO Alex Jones has also revealed the app – which has been downloaded more than 22million times since its launch in 2018 – faces being shut down within the EU because of privacy concerns.
However, when the Sunday Mail asked the Catholic church in Scotland whether it had concerns, a spokesman confirmed they did not.
Father Gerry Maguiness said: “Just being on the website, it is free. You can opt to buy the app. No difficulty with it.”
Hallow boss Jones took to X to complain about a potential EU ban in February.
He said: “The EU is shutting us down by over-regulation, apparently targeting any religious app, making it effectively impossible for us to operate.
“Honestly pretty heartbreaking –we were just discussing plans to expand our Polish, French, Italian, and German content and teams. If this is accurate, those efforts will be essentially impossible.”
While details of any ban remain unclear, it is thought to be linked to the Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect in February 2023.
The legislation restricts the processing of “sensitive” personal data, including information related to religious or philosophical beliefs, unless explicit user consent is provided.
The firm announced last week it was cutting ties with Brand after the actor and comedian was charged with rape and other sexual offences.
Brand had praised the app in a social media video in which he said he would “thoroughly recommend” it.