Sr. Marysia Weber, R.S.M.
Pope Benedict has one thousand YouTube videos, but those in the Church need to use the internet with caution, said Sr. Marysia Weber, R.S.M. a psychiatrist and new media expert.
Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have encouraged the use of the internet, but abuses can easily occur, Sr. Marysia, of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI said. “The internet is a useful tool, but it can be harmful if not used with discretion or excessively,” she said.
There is a seductive or addictive quality to the internet, she said, in which a person can divulge personal information that they would not do in person. In her professional work, in the past five years “more and more persons are scoring high on narcissism.”
Sister spoke at the Apr. 29-May 1 conference of the Institute on Religious Life at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL. The event was attended by several hundred religious and lay persons.
Excessive use of the internet can cause a person to be self-absorbed. One example, Sr. Marysia said, was that of a 38-year-old priest who was a parochial vicar who spent hours on a social networking site after 11 pm each night, building up his profile via an avatar, or made-up personal picture, and a fantasy identity. He had gained a high rank on the network, helping others create their own virtual settings.
As a result, he was late for Mass, unkempt, lost his prayer life, and could not fulfill his pastoral duties.
Sister Marysia covered four topics: “The Effect of New Media and Technology on Priestly and Religious Vocations,” “The Church and Electronic Media,” “Unanticipated Effects of Regular Internet Use,” and “The Interface of Virtual Reality with Actual Reality.”
