Priest: Shield kids from Satan, guard Internet use

MANILA, Philippines - With the school year about to start in a month's time, parents are being asked to keep a close eye on what their children are accessing from the Internet. Ric Equia, Marikina City parish priest, said children could be victimized by the forces of "Satan" using the Net to peddle anti-Christian values. "But the sad reality is, the Internet is already penetrated by Satan. Internet is full of sex. Promiscuity and homosexuality are being peddled. Internet is already being used by Anti-Christ to spread things against God, Jesus and the Church," Equia said in a statement posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Web site. The situation is even more dangerous nowadays because children are introduced to the Internet at a very early age, according to Equia. He said parents must at least make sure that their children are equipped with the proper values so they won't be "swayed easily" when they visit Internet sites. Equia also urged the Church to counter the emerging threat from the Internet by establishing its own presence in cyberspace. Equia said the Church must offer cyber visitors an "alternative" to the evil lifestyle offered by unscrupulous parties on the Net. "With the use of the internet, the Church should be able to offer to the youth an alternative lifestyle to the evil lifestyle of today," he said. - GMANews.TV