14 DAY TRIAL // Pope Benedict XVI plans to get his own Google channel, featuring video capabilities, in order to promote the word of God to Internet users as well. According to the Vatican, the Holy See's TV Center and the Vatican Radio are working with Google to make sure that everything is set up without a hitch. The press office of the pontiff announced on Saturday that all news related to the Pope, as well as videos and texts of his speeches would be posted directly online, without people having to pass through the official Vatican website.
The Vatican is no stranger to online activities, as the late Pope, John Paul II, used websites to relay teachings, prayer, and other pronouncements to the wide public. Although it openly blames technology for some of the worst happenings in the world today, the Vatican says that it can also take advantage of the expanding online environment to create religious groups, and to ensure that ever-decreasing church attendance doesn't necessarily mean that people are straying from their beliefs.
In addition to the new channel, the Pope already sanctioned the creation of digital copies of various prayers, to be used on devices such as iPhones. The pontiff says that Catholics could benefit from this measure, while at the same time keeping hold of their high-tech system that they became so attached to. Furthermore, the Holy See has employed other technological advancements as well, including the installation of solar panels on the roofs of some of its buildings.
Some groups say that it’s hypocritical of the Pope to claim that some parts of technology are bad, and against religion, seeing how the Vatican features photovoltaic panels, PA audio systems, printed press, websites, and all other commodities of modern life. They say that the pontiff should adopt a more unitary stance, in that he should blame, or accept, all the features of today's advancements in science, and not just the ones he and the Vatican could benefit from.