Five hundred years ago, a man named Martin Luther questioned the teachings of the Catholic Church at the time. His actions lead to what is now known as the Protestant Reformation. Centuries after this event, a robot called BlessU-2 has been revealed in Germany to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The robot is intended to trigger debate about the future of the church and the looming potential of artificial intelligence, reports The Guardian. "We wanted people to consider if it is possible to be blessed by a machine, or if a human being is needed," said Stephan Krebs of the Protestant church in Hesse and Nassau.

To be fair, there are human priests in Wittenberg, too, but the Protestant church in Hesse and Nassau recently built a robot priest to give blessings as part of a celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The robot, named "BlessU-2," has a touchscreen, glowing hands, and can forgive your sins in five different languages.

BlessU-2, the name of the robot priest in Germany, can give blessings in five languages and beams light from its hands. The bot was created in honor of Martin Luther, the Guardian reported Tuesday. Five hundred years ago, revolutionary printing presses helped spread the word of the Protestant Reformation. The robot was configured by the Protestant church in Hesse and Nassau in Wittenberg, Germany, half a millennium after Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door. The creators wanted to ignite a conversation about how artificial intelligence could possibly be a part of religion's future.

Five hundred years after revolutionary printing presses spread news of Martin Luther's radical call for church reform across Europe, technology is again challenging religious tradition in the small German town of Wittenberg. A robot priest that delivers blessings in five languages and beams light from its hands has been unveiled as part of an exhibition to mark the anniversary of the start of the Reformation, a Europe-wide religious, political and cultural upheaval sparked when Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in the town. Half a millennium later, the robot, called BlessU-2, is intended to trigger debate about the future of the church and the potential of artificial intelligence. "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 in Hesse and Nassau, which is behind the initiative, told the Guardian. The robot has a touchscreen chest, two arms and a head.

A robot named BlessU-2 has been installed as part of an exhibition in Germany to mark 500 years since Martin Luther wrote Ninety-five Theses, a list of propostions for academic debate that started the Protestant Reformation in Europe.