[LINK] Pope on the net

[Peter Bowditch]

They must be really p**sed off over at God Tube that he didn't talk to 
them first.

And yes, there really is a God Tube. http://www.godtube.com/

> <http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/012309-pope-praises-potential-of-
> new.html?hpg1=bn>    By Philip Willan , IDG News Service , 01/23/2009 
> 
> 
> Pope Benedict XVI marked his debut on YouTube Friday by releasing a 
> speech in which he praised new communication technologies as powerful 
> instruments for good, while also warning of the potential pitfalls 
> associated with their misuse. 
> 
>  http://au.youtube.com/vaticanit
> 
> In a speech entitled "New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a 
> Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship," released Friday ahead of 
> the Catholic Church's World Social Communications Day, scheduled for May
> 24, Benedict said digital technologies could be remarkable instruments 
> for dialogue (and) friendship ..
> 
> "These technologies are truly a gift to humanity and we must endeavor to
> ensure that the benefits they offer are put at the service of all human
> individuals and communities, especially those who are most disadvantaged
> and vulnerable," the 81-year-old German pontiff said. 
> 
> Mobile phones, computers and Internet had contributed to social progress
> by facilitating dynamic forms of learning & communication, the Pope said.
> 
> The desire to communicate with others was imprinted in our nature by 
> God, "the God of communication and communion," the Pope said. 
> 
> The Pope urged people of good will engaged in the digital communications
> sector to promote a culture of dialogue and respect.
> 
> "If the new technologies are to serve the good of individuals and of 
> society, all users will avoid the sharing of words and images that are 
> degrading of human beings, that promote hatred and intolerance, that 
> debase the goodness and intimacy of human sexuality or that exploit the
> weak and vulnerable," the Pope said. 
> 
> The Pope also warned that Internet friendships should not displace 
> friendships in the real world and time-consuming navigation in cyberspace
> should not isolate us from real life. 
> 
> "If the desire for virtual connectedness becomes obsessive, it may in 
> fact function to isolate individuals from real social interaction while
> also disrupting the patterns of rest, silence and reflection that are 
> necessary for healthy human development," he said. 
> 
> But, delivered on the same day that the Vatican launched a dedicated 
> YouTube channel to disseminate the Pope's messages, the tone of his 
> speech on new technology was overwhelmingly positive .. (c) IDG News 
> 
> --
> Cheers people
> Stephen Loosley
> (ps, not a Catholic, 
> but he IS a good man)

-- 
Peter Bowditch
The Millenium Project - http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Australian Council Against Health Fraud - http://www.acahf.org.au
Australian Skeptics - http://www.skeptics.com.au