The internet a 'gift from God'- Pope Francis declares

Pope Francis has declared the internet is a ‘gift from God’ because it brings people from different cultures together.
In a statement about Catholic Church communications, Pope Francis said the web offers ‘immense possibilities’ for differing points of view to be heard, including those that oppose or question the Catholic religion. 
Yet added our obsession with online conversations should never be used at the detriment of having face-to-face conversations with neighbours, friends and family.
In his message on Thursday, Francis said: '[The internet] is something truly good, a gift from God.'
He continued that it should be used like 'a balm which relieves pain and a fine wine which gladdens hearts.'Yet warned: 'The desire for digital connectivity can have the effect of isolating us from our neighbors, from those closest to us.'
The Pontiff also declared the internet is a powerful tool because it lets people of various religions engage in dialogues about their faiths.  
He believes it shouldn't be used just to preach the Catholic word, but to discuss the benefits the religion has while accepting other religions may offer alternatives. 
'A dialogue means to believe that the 'other' has something worthwhile to say, and to entertain his or her point of view and perspective,' explained Pope Francis. 
'Engaging in dialogue does not mean renouncing our own ideas and traditions, but the pretense that they alone are valid and absolute.'
The comments come after Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi declared in September that Jesus was the world's first tweeter because his sermons and messages were 'brief and full of meaning".
Gianfranco Ravasi made the comments while addressing a group of newspaper editors at a conference in Italy. He added that Christ 'used tweets before everyone else, with elementary phrases made up of fewer than 45 characters such as 'Love one another'.
Cardinal Ravasi stated that the church should be doing all it can to take full advantage of the internet as a way of getting the message of God to the masses. 
Pope Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict XVI was the first pontiff to join Twitter, and the current Pope Francis tweets in English to over three million followers.