Feature Articles
Just What is a "Catholic" Website?
The Bishops on Safety in Cyberspace
The Bishops on Safety in Cyberspace
You know, lots of people claim to be Catholic. Many people could be called "cultural Catholics. You’re from Polish or Italian heritage, so of course you’re Catholic. Nevermind whether you have been to church anytime in memory. No matter that you can’t tell me the name of the pastor of the parish to which you belong…
Then there are Catholics who seem to think our Holy Father isn’t Catholic enough. They still bemoan the fact that we can use our own language at mass alongside our traditional Latin. Some of these Catholics are angered by priests who refuse to offer the Tridentine Liturgy or who allow women to serve as lectors.
On the other side are Catholics who seem not to mind abortion as a form of birth control. There are "Catholics who ignore the Pope and the Bishops and don’t have a need for the advice and counsel of the church. Some of these individuals would like to see a more empowered, lay-run church without priests, religious sisters, or any vowed or professed religious professionals.
In the midst of all of this, how can we find websites that are, in the words of this program, "Consistently Catholic?"
In 2000, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a document called "Your Family and Cyberspace. In this document, the Bishops note, "Cyberspace has become filled with a great deal of misleading or simply inaccurate information on the Church. Just because you can find it on the web doesn't mean it's true; and just because a site uses "Catholic" in its name doesn't mean it reflects the teaching and practice of the Catholic faith. "Let the buyer beware" applies very much in this case."
The document goes on to say that we should "Approach all "Catholic" sites not connected with recognizable Catholic institutions or organizations critically. Be aware that there are those who use Catholic-sounding names to spread anti-Catholic propaganda and even pornography. Talk to someone at your parish or diocese if you encounter "Catholic" sites that contain unfamiliar information or odd claims."
We have to be careful out there in Internet land. Ask your local priest if something you read on the internet sounds fishy. And recognize the difference between opinion websites that are meant to push people to the right or left… and sites that help us all to get along better, as "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church."
Then there are Catholics who seem to think our Holy Father isn’t Catholic enough. They still bemoan the fact that we can use our own language at mass alongside our traditional Latin. Some of these Catholics are angered by priests who refuse to offer the Tridentine Liturgy or who allow women to serve as lectors.
On the other side are Catholics who seem not to mind abortion as a form of birth control. There are "Catholics who ignore the Pope and the Bishops and don’t have a need for the advice and counsel of the church. Some of these individuals would like to see a more empowered, lay-run church without priests, religious sisters, or any vowed or professed religious professionals.
In the midst of all of this, how can we find websites that are, in the words of this program, "Consistently Catholic?"
In 2000, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a document called "Your Family and Cyberspace. In this document, the Bishops note, "Cyberspace has become filled with a great deal of misleading or simply inaccurate information on the Church. Just because you can find it on the web doesn't mean it's true; and just because a site uses "Catholic" in its name doesn't mean it reflects the teaching and practice of the Catholic faith. "Let the buyer beware" applies very much in this case."
The document goes on to say that we should "Approach all "Catholic" sites not connected with recognizable Catholic institutions or organizations critically. Be aware that there are those who use Catholic-sounding names to spread anti-Catholic propaganda and even pornography. Talk to someone at your parish or diocese if you encounter "Catholic" sites that contain unfamiliar information or odd claims."
We have to be careful out there in Internet land. Ask your local priest if something you read on the internet sounds fishy. And recognize the difference between opinion websites that are meant to push people to the right or left… and sites that help us all to get along better, as "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church."