Down Under Bishops Address Internet Concerns

The Australian Catholic Bishop Conference takes new approach to addressing the benefits and dangers of the internet. Along with a pastoral letter on proper and improper internet use that was issued on World Communications Day (April 27, 2008), they provided a youtube video that is addressed specifically to the youth.

Bishop Peter Ingham of Wollongong Diocese in Australia appears in the youtube video admitting how much more internet savvy most young people are compared to adults and even bishops. He says internet use can be like visiting the best theme park in the world and stumbling upon a toxic waste dump while inside. After citing many great things for which the internet can be used, Bishop Ingham warns against stranger danger, giving out intimate information and personal details, cyber bullying, and financial exploitation as serious dangers. The purpose of the video is to encourage people to think about internet dangers and “avoid those things that hurt our human dignity and the dignity of others.”

The “Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Australia” is directed to parents and the Church community as a whole. The letter highlights how the internet can be used for the New Evangelization and a source of great good. But on a more somber note, this letter seeks to make the community more aware of the Church’s concern by citing Papal letters, studies, statistics, and internet safety resources. The document cites the following quote from John Paul II’s letter Internet: A New Forum for Proclaiming the Gospel.

The internet offers extensive knowledge, but it does not teach values; and when values are disregarded, our very humanity is demeaned and man easily loses sight of his transcendent dignity. Despite its enormous potential for good, some of the degrading and damaging ways in which the Internet can be used are already obvious to all, and public authorities surely have a responsibility to guarantee that this marvelous instrument serves the common good and does not become a source of harm.

Recognizing the lack of regulation on the internet, the bishops are lobbying for internet filters that will help control distribution of pornography and limit child exposure. They officially endorse the Federal Government taking steps to make internet service providers filter out offensive material before such material would make it to the home computer.

The following is the conclusion of the pastoral letter:

The internet is the pervasive cultural influence of our time. It will continue to grow and evolve at a dizzying rate and the possibilities which this evolution will bring to us, as individuals, families and Church are as yet undreamt of. We should not be afraid to embrace those opportunities wholeheartedly. But there are dangers on the Internet which can affect the physical, spiritual and emotional safety and well-being of both children and adults. This Pastoral Letter has sought to highlight just some of those dangers and to view some of these issues through the prism of our faith in Jesus Christ.

We pray that in spending time getting to know some of the dangers of the Internet and in reflecting on how those dangers can impact on safety, human dignity and relationships, we can all be better prepared to avoid those dangers and to focus on the many positive attributes of the Internet. We hope that parents and grandparents who feel out of touch with the lives their children lead on the Internet will be encouraged by this letter to become more involved and more educated. Spending time together on the Internet and keeping the lines of communication open is the best way to stop problems from developing. Creating appropriate boundaries, rules and expectations regarding Internet use are also good practical steps.