A patron saint for cybernauts
The Layman Online, October 14, 1999
According to a report by Ecumenical News International, the Vatican is considering “appointing a patron saint for cybernauts – people who spend extensive time surfing the World Wide Web.”
The Geneva-based news agency reports that “many Catholics believe that the church needs to appoint a spiritual guardian for the Internet because of the lack of moral authority over the exploding number of websites, many of which present immoral and pornographic material, making it accessible to hundreds of millions of computer-users, including children.”
Earlier this year the Vatican commissioned a search to find which existing Catholic saints would be the most suitable patron of the Internet. They suggested Saint Isidore, Bishop of Seville, in Spain, who was born between 560 and 570. Unknown even to most Catholics, Isidore wrote an early encyclopedia, Etymologies, with a structure similar to what is now known as a database. The 20-volume work contained information on the seven liberal arts and subjects such as medicine, agriculture, architecture, the books and offices of the church, and other church subjects.
The extent and the influence of Isidore’s work have now prompted comparisons with the Internet, as has his role as an intellectual bridge between two eras, the Ancient World and the Middle Ages.
However, despite the enthusiasm of some Catholics for Isidore, Nicolas Betticher, information officer for Switzerland’s Catholic bishops, said that “For the moment, no official decision has been made … The Vatican does not want to be hurried. It wants to wait and see how the Internet evolves. An appointment could take place later.”
“Catholic cybernauts are calling for a patron saint to be appointed because they feel the need for a moral guardian, given the lack of legislation governing the Net. But the church is not keen to set itself up as the authority to fill this judicial void in place of the relevant civil authorities,” Betticher added.
Material on the Internet shows that interest in and devotion to St. Isidore of Seville are growing fast. One Australian-based website includes a “shrine” to Isidore asking him to protect it from hackers.