By Felicity Ussher, 19 October 1998 00:15
NEWS To mark his 20th anniversary as head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope has published a warning that technology is sucking people into a maelstrom of information - leaving no room for humanity. The lengthy piece updates an essay on the relationship between faith and reason, written 120 years ago by Pope Leone XIII to help Christians handle the fundamental questions of existence. Pope John Paul II aims to make his version applicable to the modern world. In his essay, the Pope writes that few people think about the meaning of life any more, and it seems to have lost importance as an issue. He said technology is sucking humanity into "a whirlwind of data and facts", that has become all encompassing. Speaking at the essay's launch last week, the Reverend Georges Cottier, theologian of the Papal House, explained the Pope's reasons for his missive: "Today, different streams of thought are converging on a radical nihilism, which pays no attention to faith. The Pope has published this as an invitation to people to re-think their philosophy within the framework of religious truths." The Pope was unavailable for comment, as he had left to go on holiday.
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