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Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Cabaero: Pope and the Internet
By Nini B. Cabaero
Beyond 30
ONE of the good memories people have about Pope John Paul II was his openness to modern ways.
Despite his conservatism, he had surprised people at some times. He was a Church leader known for his unmoving stance against women priests, abortion and mercy killing. He was known for his conservatism. So it was a surprise when in 2002, the pope gave an endorsement of the Internet.
That medium that someone once called a tool of the devil. That highway that led people to pornography and instant gratification.
The pope had his own take on the matter.
His message from the Vatican on May 12, 2002, on the occasion of the 36th World Communications Day, tackled the issue of religion in the time of the Internet.
In his message on the theme “Internet: A new forum for proclaiming the Gospel,” the pope cited the role of new technology in spreading the Good Word. He showed the world how the Church can adapt to the times.
As a tool for evangelization, he said, “The Internet can provide the kind of follow-up which evangelization requires.” “Especially in an unsupportive culture, Christian living calls for continuing instruction and catechesis, and this is perhaps the area in which the Internet can provide excellent help,” he said.
“There already exist on the Net countless sources of information, documentation and education about the Church, her history and tradition, her doctrine and her engagement in every field in all parts of the world. It is clear, then, that while the Internet can never replace that profound experience of God which only the living, liturgical and sacramental life of the Church can offer, it can certainly provide a unique supplement and support in both preparing for the encounter with Christ in community, and sustaining the new believer in the journey of faith which then begins,” the pope added.
But, at the same time, the pope warned of the bad uses of the Internet. (Full text of the message can be viewed from the Vatican website at http://www.vatican.va)
The Internet, he said, offers knowledge but it does not teach values. “When values are disregarded, our very humanity is demeaned and man easily loses sight of his transcendent dignity. Despite its enormous potential for good, some of the degrading and damaging ways in which the Internet can be used are already obvious to all, and public authorities surely have a responsibility to guarantee that this marvelous instrument serves the common good and does not become a source of harm,” the pope said.
The Church’s approach to this new medium is marked with “realism and confidence.”
Finally, the pope’s message reminded the Catholic faithful of how the Internet, like other communications media, is a means, not an end in itself.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)
(April 5, 2005 issue)
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