BY Martin Dunlop | February 8 | 
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Pope highlights educational role of internet
Pope Benedict XVI has said that the internet can be a valuable tool for Catholic education and evangelisation and that its proper use should be encouraged in seminaries as well as in other Church institutions
The Holy Father was addressing members of the Congregation for Catholic Education, began their plenary meeting at the Vatican yesterday.
“Internet, with its capacity to reach across destinations and put people in contact, offers great possibilities for the Church and Her mission,” Pope Benedict said.
When used with caution and discernment, the Pope said, the Internet can be useful for future priests not only for studying, but for pastoral work in areas of evangelisation, missionary action, catechism, educational projects and administration of various institutions.
The Church will therefore need well-prepared teachers to keep the seminarians up to date on the ‘correct and positive’ use of information technology, he said.
This is not the first time the Holy Father has spoken about the potential, and the dangers, offered by new media technology. Last month in a message for the upcoming World Communications Day he said, ‘this means of spreading information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship.’
He encouraged the use of social media such as Facebook as a means of spreading the Christian message, but warned of the dangers of substituting human relationships with virtual contacts.
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