Det er ikke første gang pave Benedikt snakker om moderne teknologi; nå sier han at den kan være nyttig for å spre evangeliet – men han peker også på begrensninger og problemer:
Pope Benedict XVI invited Christians to join online social networks in order to spread the Gospel through digital media and discover «an entirely new world of potential friendships.»
At the same time, the pope warned of the limits and the dangers of digital communication, including the risks of constructing a false online image and of replacing direct human contact with virtual relationships. …
«The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships,» he said.
The pope added that digital communication has built-in limits, including the one-sidedness of the interaction and «the tendency to communicate only some parts of one’s interior world.» The creation of an artificial online image instead of an authentic one «can become a form of self-indulgence,» he said.
The great potential of social networks for building relationships makes it a natural place for the church to be present, he said. But there is a «Christian way» of being online — through communication that is «honest and open, responsible and respectful of others,» he said. …