Pope warns of Internet risks

Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday the Internet and the ongoing process of media convergence carry a risk of conformity of thought and control.Benedict said that while the Internet is egalitarian and creates the opportunity to be informed and stay connected, it also comes with risks.

The pontiff noted that the digital divide adds to the gap already separating wealthy nations from poor ones. He also mentioned the "dangers of conformity, of control, of moral and intellectual relativism, which can already be recognised in the decline of critical spirit." The pope was addressing a meeting on digital technologies and new media promoted by the Italian Bishops` Conference. He urged the media to promote the dignity of peoples and put themselves at the service of the truth. Benedict has tried to bring the Vatican into the Internet age and launched a YouTube channel last year. Officials say the 83-year-old pontiff also e-mails and surfs the Web. Last year, the pope made clear that he was disappointed that Vatican officials hadn`t done a simple Internet search to discover the Holocaust-denying comments of an ultraconservative bishop before his excommunication was lifted. The case embarrassed the Vatican, and Benedict said on that occasion that the Holy See needed to make greater use of the Internet. PTI