There ought to be an Index
Devil in the details.
Imagine an average Catholic, unfamiliar with the net, deciding to surf the web looking for good Catholic websites. Imagine that Catholic stumbling upon some of the more extreme “Catholic” sites, not knowing the difference between a trad site and a sedevacantist site - or those that fall in between. The average Catholic can easily become confused by the material and opinions these sites offer. If you have ever read some of these sites, you would know what I mean. Mrs. Parkes from the UK blog Catholic Mom of 10 has posted about some of the things she has run across in this genre of weblogs. The upshot is, I don’t think she will be revisiting them anytime soon - Mrs. Parkes is wiser than some priests in this regard.
There are several sites that are definitely schismatic and/or sedevacantist, collectively posting wonderful Catholic practice and devotions, yet not infrequently accompanied by an assortment of conspiracy theories contemptuous of Rome. Then there are more traditional sites, supposedly in line with Rome, that heap aspersions on everything post-Vatican II. (It’s kind of creepy how infectious the negativity and lack of charity expressed in these sites can be.) Often times in so doing they cast suspicion upon everything the Pope and the Vatican says and does. One site even criticzes the Pope for wearing sunglasses!
It has made me much more conscious of who I link to in my blogroll, knowing that who I link to may indeed misrepresent the Church and and the faith. (This applies to dissident Catholic sites as well. A blog is a blog is a blog - but the people reading it may not understand that.) There once was an Index of forbidden books in the Church, with the belief that what one reads regarding the faith may indeed harm the faith of the readers. It’s not a bad idea for Catholic bloggers to consider.
It took me awhile to figure this out. I’m just a simple, average, Roman Catholic man.
[Warning: Some of the sites I link to above are not in union with the Holy Father, though they might claim to be "more Catholic" than he is - which happens to be a terribly presumptuous claim.]
