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Sure, much of the World Wide Web can resemble the bottom rungs of Dante’s “Inferno” from time to time. But Pope Francis has given it his holy seal of approval, calling the Internet “a gift from God” in a Vatican-released statement on Thursday.
Why so bullish on the very thing that brought us the LOLcat? The Internet presents a platform for communication, Pope Francis wrote, letting people of different faiths and backgrounds interact. The pope is using the message to promote open conversation about things like faith, adding that “engaging in dialogue does not mean renouncing our own ideas and traditions, but the pretense that they alone are valid and absolute.”
Archbishop Claudio Mario Celli was quick to do a bit of containment in a statement issued to The Associated Press, insisting that the pope’s words are meant to be taken as a “reflection,” rather than “a conciliar or dogmatic text.” Pope Francis also added that while there are positives on the Internet, it can also ultimately serve to isolate users from friends and family.