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Vatican searches Google for Internet lessons
Nov. 18, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionVATICAN CITY -- Surprised when an ultra-traditionalist bishop whom he had welcomed back into the Catholic Church turned out to have been a fervent and public Holocaust-denier, Pope Benedict XVI declared in March that he had “learned the lesson” that the Vatican would have to “pay greater attention” to the Internet.
Eight months later, the Vatican has been doing just that, with a four-day conference, Nov. 12-15, on the “Internet culture and church communication” -- or how to evangelize in the information age.
In his message to the gathering, sponsored by an umbrella group of European bishops' conferences, Benedict likened the “new technological culture” to the “pagan milieu of the Greek and Roman world” through which St. Paul spread the Christian message in the first century.
French Bishop Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri stressed the need for quicker communication by recalling the controversy over the Holocaust-denying bishop, Richard Williamson, and another that broke out in March, after the pope told reporters accompanying him to Africa that the distribution of condoms aggravates the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Leandri also made an example of evangelical Web sites, which he said are more popular in the French-speaking world than their Catholic counterparts, despite the Catholic Church's superior numbers.
“How should we explain this?” Leandri asked, according to the Zenit news agency, before explaining that “Evangelicals come out of themselves to put themselves in others' shoes. They respond to needs. ... Catholic sites are centered on themselves.”
Archbishop Claudio Celli, head of the Vatican's communications office, lamented that the vast majority of Catholic sites have not yet embraced the interactive applications collectively known as “Web 2.0.”
To help address that and other deficiencies, the bishops have also been hearing from outside experts, including executives from Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube.
God Bless the work of Pope
God Bless the work of Pope Benedict XVI
The Vatican has no need of
The Vatican has no need of Web 2.0 or social interfacing sites. They insist on talking at, not with the laity. Upgrading would be a waste of server space.
It's all in the
It's all in the PACKAGING:
MODERN technology,
MEDIEVAL theology!
And besides, do they really expect IT people to work for peanuts like nuns did for decades?
Memo to Pope:
Google THIS "internet lesson" the next time you're online:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1226673/British-bishop...
Finally. Question: will
Finally.
Question: will Catholic sites follow the implied suggestion of Bishop Leandri that Catholics take a lesson from Evangelical sites and focus on "people's needs" rather than remaining "centered on themselves?" It remains to be seen, especially when it appeared that one platform for the gathering was "evangelization" in the communications age.
The present crop of men at
The present crop of men at the Vatican are really little boys who never matured to the adult stage of development. They will try to use the Internet as a weapon but it will make matters worse for them and backfire. This crop of FUNDAMENTALISTS must be exposed at every turn. Benedict will go down as perhaps, the worst of the worst in terms of being the FIRST Shepherd among equal shepherds. History will see him as the Hitler Youth that turned into a far right reactionary power holder in the Catholic Church. The real behind the scenes story about how he campaigned to be Pope many years before John Paul II's death is yet to be told. This is a period of Catholic history that will reflect the darkest side of human nature and the Internet will be one means to EXPOSE the details of just how far people like Benedict will go to CONTROL the dialogue of what it means to be a Catholic.
The old guard in Rome, the
The old guard in Rome, the College of Cardinals, along with the Bishop of Rome, are about to get a tongue lashing from the Archbishop of Canterbury. This is in regard to Rome's opposition to women in the priesthood and their consecration as bishops. It will be interesting to see how Benedict and his shills react to Archbishop Rowan Williams. There will be a few open minds but most of them will take the same misogynist approach to dealing with this subject. Most will appear as foolish old clowns who have lost all moral authority and the ability to have intelligent discourse on this subject and also the other "touchy" subject of human sexuality. The world will laugh at them. They truly are putting the final nails in their own coffins. We are witnessing the advanced decay and implosion of the imperial model of the Latin Rite Church. EVERYTHING they say or do is expediting this process! It's amazing to watch this unfolding but it's also a sure sign the Church envisioned by the Council Fathers of Vatican II is about to be born. Old foundations are being destroyed so that new foundations can be built. The Internet represents INDEPENDENT and FREE thinking and that THREATENS these bishops more than ANY previous phenomena in history. The People of God have become educated and men like Cardinal George are running scared and they are making colossal blunders that make them a laughing stock and demonstrate that their feet are really made of clay. Pathetic and shameful behavior from men who once claimed to be our "shepherds" and teachers. Their power and lifestyle have corrupted most of them. A few good men are still among their ranks and will emerge with the new Church that will mirror Christ.
Bishop Williamson does NOT
Bishop Williamson does NOT deny but questions the history of what happened during the holocaust. For those catholics who think it's a crime to "question" history, I say shame on you. You should know full well how the history of the world lies about Catholicism!
Benedict likened the “new
Benedict likened the “new technological culture” to the “pagan milieu of the Greek and Roman world” through which St. Paul spread the Christian message in the first century.
it sounds like his holiness has already brought to pass in his own mind the faithful remnant church that he talks about. and we web-users are not in it.
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