THE INTERNET AND THE CHURCH: BLESSINGS AND CONCERNS

In 1971, the Holy See published “The Pastoral Instruction on the Means of Social Communication Communio et Progressio.  Quoting from Pope Pius XII’s Encyclical Letter, Miranda Prorsus, the document underscored the fact that the Church “sees these media as ‘gifts of God' which, in accordance with his providential design, unite men in brotherhood and so help them to cooperate with his plan for their salvation”.

Back then, the Internet was in its infancy, taking fledgling steps into the vast cyberworld it would spawn decades later.

Today, the Internet has transformed the means of social communication and has itself become a major factor in the role it plays in human history.  

The Internet has become the most powerful tool available to man to disseminate information which can redound to mankind’s benefit or peril.

 As the Father of Vatican Council II noted: “although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the kingdom of Christ”, nevertheless “such progress is of vital concern to the kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society”.

Certainly, the Internet has the potential of contributing greatly to the enlargement and enrichment of men's minds and to the propagation and consolidation of the kingdom of God.

Digital communication by way of the Internet has provided the Church with a revolutionary number of benefits and advantages.  Daily, “the Net" carries news, information and commentary  about religious events, ideas, and personalities.  It serves as a instrument for evangelization and catechesis. 

The Internet is increasingly relevant to many activities and programs of the Church—  catechesis and other kinds of education, news and information, apologetics, governance and administration, and some forms of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction.

A growing number of parishes, dioceses, religious congregations, and church-related institutions, programs, nd organizations of all kinds now make effective use of the Internet for these and other purposes.

The Church, while embracing the opportunities and advancements which the Internet affords in proclaiming Christ and His Divine salvific message to the world, must be mindful and understand the power of the Internet as a tool of communication and persuasion. This requires keeping clearly in view its special character as a direct, immediate, interactive, and participatory medium.

Already, the two-way interactivity of the Internet is blurring the old distinction between those who communicate and those who receive what is communicated, creating a situation in which, potentially at least, everyone can do both. 

This is not the one-way, top-down communication of the past. As more and more people become familiar with this characteristic of the Internet in other areas of their lives, they can be expected also to look for it in regard to religion and the Church. 

This very blogsite and many others like it are examples of how the Catholic Faith can be communicated and shared among believers of good faith and good will.

Still, the Internet presents some special problems for the Church.

Among these are the reality that the Internet can at times be hostile to matters of Faith and morals, especially since the modern media culture is so deeply imbued with a sense that the only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths or that, if there were any, they would be inaccessible to human reason and therefore irrelevant.  

Additionally,  the Internet is vulnerable to the presence of hate sites devoted to defaming and attacking religious and ethnic groups. Some of these target the Catholic Church. 

Moreover, pornography and violence abound in this still evolving medium of mass communication.  In this context, the Internet can reflect the dark side of a human nature wounded by sin.

In recent times, the proliferation of web sites calling themselves Catholic creates a problem of a different sort. 

Church-related groups should be creatively present on the Internet; and well-motivated, well-informed individuals and unofficial groups acting on their own initiative are entitled to be there as well. But it can be confusing, to say the least, not to distinguish eccentric doctrinal interpretations, idiosyncratic devotional practices, and ideological advocacy bearing a ‘Catholic' label from the authentic positions of the Church. 

Certainly, neo-conservative reactionary groups within the Church make ample use of the Internet to promulgate their distorted and defensive view of contemporary Catholicism.

Still, this is a remarkable time in the history of Christianity.  The Internet affords the Church with the most effective means of communicating the Gospel to humanity on a global scale previously unthinkable.

May the Church seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in proclaiming the truth of Christ clearly and in a manner which inspires faith and confidence in the redeeming love of Our Heavenly Father.