Father Lombardi: Christians Must Examine Online Witness

(June 02, 2011) The world is increasingly becoming one huge social network thanks to the dominant role of the Internet in society, and Christians must be vigilant in keeping the dignity of the human person front and centre, says a Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, made this reflection in an interview with Intercom magazine, a pastoral and liturgical resource of the Irish Bishops' Conference. Reflecting on Pope Benedict XVI's message for World Communications Day, which will be observed June 5, the Vatican spokesman said that relationships established online should never be purely superficial, and that they must not lose their quality. "What kind of 'friendships' are we building online?" the director asked. "This is a culture in which young people especially are deeply immersed," the priest said, "simultaneously experiencing wonderful opportunities for new relationships and increasing risks of isolation or withdrawal from everyday life." Father Lombardi said these are the issues Christians should reflect on, adding that Pope Benedict XVI always takes a positive approach in his pastoral addresses on the new digital culture. "The message this year is a very strong call to profound reflection on how we live our human experience and Christian witness in the age and culture of Internet," Father Lombardi noted. In the same interview, Father Lombardi commented on Pope Benedict XVI's Pastoral Letter of March 2010 to the Catholics of Ireland, which he described as the "most comprehensive text that the Pope has ever written on the question of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy." However, the letter was written also for an international audience, as the abuse has affected the universal Church, Father Lombardi explained.