Pope Francis urges parents not to allow computers in their kid's bedroom to protect children from explicit materials found on such gadgets.
Last weekend, Pope Francis visited Sarajevo for a day. On Saturday, June 6, during his return flight, the Pope spoke about the harm computers can inflict to one's soul, Aletia reports.
According to The Telegraph, Pope Francis said, "It harms the soul and curtails freedom - it makes you a slave of the computer."
The pontiff shared that he received several complaints from parents about their children engrossed with their smartphones, even when the family is on the table for to take their meal together. The parents felt that their children were "in another world", Aletia notes.
Parents should be vigilant on their children's attitude with regards to the things they access online because not all online content are worthy.
The Pope said, "There are dirty things, from pornography to semi-pornography, to programmes that are empty and without values - for example programmes that are hedonistic and consumerist, " The Telegraph reports.
The pontiff mentioned consumerism and relativism to be the "cancers of society". He assured that he would address these issues on his upcoming encyclical on the environment, which will be released on June 18.
The papal letter will be titled "Laudato sii" (Praise be to Thee). The title was taken from the lyrics of a religious song composed by Saint Francis of Assisi, known as "Canticle of the Sun", Aletia notes.
The Pope has accepted virtual world to be a reality that every human cannot ignore. He added, "It is part of the progress of mankind", Dailymail notes.
However, one should be cautious of the amount of time spent staring on the screen. When it already affects one's relationship with the people around him, separating him from family, society, sports, or arts, it becomes a "psychological illness", according to Pope Francis.
The Telegraph reports that it has been over two decades since the Pope watched television. The pontiff admitted this in his interview with an Argentinian newspaper. The Pope told La Voz del Pueblo that TV was not for him.
The Pope ended his speech with praises and commendations for parents who are vigilant enough to bar computers from their children's bedroom and encourages other parents to follow the same strategy.
