Catholics, Orthodox join to launch online-safety website
17 June, 2013 - Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox in the United States have collaborated
on a new website to instruct Web users, primarily parents, on how youths can navigate
the online world, taking advantage of its promise while steering away from its pitfalls.
The site, www.faithandsafety.org, was activated in the middle of June, which is Internet
Safety Month. The site's subtitle is "Technology Safety Through the Eyes of Faith."
Even in its first days, it is loaded with news about sites that teens use, eyebrow-raising
details about children's first exposure to online pornography, suggestions on how
to use technology safely at home, and tips on negotiating the mobile-app scene. The
site was two years in the making. Its genesis was during a brainstorming session as
part of a summit meeting of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography attended by
Catholic and Greek Orthodox leaders. "We were challenged to come up with actionable
items as a result of the summit," said Theo Nicolakis, chief information officer for
the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States. "One of the items I came up with was
that we were going to come up with an initiative that would give the voice of faith
in regard to online and technological safety." (Source: CNS)