VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II is considering naming Saint Isidore of Seville the patron saint of internet users and computer programmers, Vatican sources have said.
Saint Isidore was nominated two years ago but the Holy See has yet to make a final decision.
Saint Isidore, who lived in the seventh century, was believed to have written the world's first encyclopaedia, the Etymologies, which included entries on medicine, mathematics, history and theology.
The Vatican has been online since 1996, using its website to publish thousands of Catholic Church documents and Papal speeches.
The site is powered by three host computers named after archangels - Raphael, Michael and Gabriel.
The Pope himself moved into cyberspace in 1998 when the world's one billion Roman Catholics were first able to hear and see him recite the Angelus prayers on Sundays and listen to his weekly audience on Wednesdays on the Vatican web page.
Links:
www.vatican.va
Vatican to name patron saint of cyberspace
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