AN official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Public Affairs Committee (CBCP-PAC) said it is not advisable to provide free Wi-fi inside churches.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP-PAC executive secretary, noted that while it can help the faithful in praying, the parish will not be able to monitor if the people will use it for other purposes.
“The intention to install Wi-fi in churches to aid people in praying is good, but the irresponsible use of it is certainly beyond the church’s control,” he said.
Secillano added the free Internet access in parishes might be used to browse the Internet instead of using it for spiritual purposes.
“The danger with installing Wi-fi in churches is it might be used for purposes other than the spiritual,” Secillano said.
He added people can download applications (prayer and other spiritual-related content) somewhere else, either in their homes or other places where there is free Wi-fi prior to their visit to church.
“Even without Wi-fi, there are apps that they can download before going to churches and use them for praying,” he said.
“While we want to take advantage of what communications technology can offer, we would rather be prudent in their use than let people utilize them possibly for Facebook, Instagram, andInternet browsing,” he added.
Some malls, restaurants, coffee shops in the country are offering free Internet access as part of their marketing strategies to entice customers.
On Monday the government launched the free Wi-fi access along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and also at Light Rail and Metro Rail Transit stations.
With this, the public will have access to information, such as weather, education and online jobs.