By Matters India Reporter

Varanasi: The Church’s response to internet addiction, pornography and abuse of social media were among the topics tackled at a recent meeting of those engaged in training Catholic seminarians and religious in India.

“Media is forming religious and priests more than we can imagine. Human formation is very important as today’s generation is communicating beyond our imagination,” said Bishop Eugene Joseph of Varanasi at the opening Mass of the seminar on “Media and Formation.”

As many as 51 priests and nuns engaged in teaching seminarians and young nuns in various parts of India attended the October 8-11 seminar organized by the Office of Social Communication under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). It was held at the Varanasi-based Nav Sadhana, a pastoral and communication center for northern India.

Most participants came from formation or training houses in Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Some nuns came from Mumbai and Trichy in Tamil Nadu. Six priests came from seminaries managed by Latin dioceses, two priests from the Syro-Malabar diocese of Bijnor and two nuns from Sagar, another Syro-Malabar diocese in Madhya Pradesh.

Bishop Joseph quoted Pope Francis to underline the need for trainers to become the formation by personally witnessing the principles and values they teach.

The seminar also addressed topics such as foundations in communication, internet use and abuse, models and theories of communications and benefits of social media. They also had an evening of practical sessions on blogging and ways to upload videos on YouTube and archive and retrieve important events for long term use.

Sister Joeyanna D’Souza, a member of the Daughters of St Paul congregation, pointed out that smart phones have become part of seminary and religious life. “Online pornography is anonymously available and freely accessible, with Wi-Fi,” explained the nun, an expert in computer systems and management and internet.

Sister D’Souza, who is currently pursuing licentiate in moral theology, coached the group on symptoms of internet addiction and ways deal with seminarians and religious trainees, who show these symptoms. She warned that free data schemes offered by service providers such as Reliance’s Jio could become “a strong temptation in religious formation houses and seminaries, if not treated in time.”

Father Varaprasad Marneni, secretary of the CBCI office, used short film clips to teach models and theories of communications and benefits of social media.

Sister Michelle Mathias, another Daughters of St Paul nun who teaches in NISCORT (National Institute of Social Communications and Research Training) under CBCI, stressed the need to make use of the media for the good of humankind.

She voiced concern over media reports of Catholic priests and religious resorting to extreme steps such as suicide for unknown or “strange: reasons such as loneliness. Some are being convicted for sexual abuse of minors or in possession of pornography and abusive communication skills, she noted.

The seminar began with the screening of the 2015 Oscar Award film “Spotlight” that related to the seminar topic.