More priests are using the Internet to do their job, according to Zenit:

A new study about the use of digital technology by priests worldwide shows that the Internet has become a frequently utilized tool in homily preparation, evangelization and pastoral support.

The PICTURE (Priests’ Information and Communication Technologies Use in Their Religious Experience) study was presented Monday in a press conference at Vatican Radio.

Cardinal Claudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy underlined the “new cultural world” of digital technologies.

This study, he explained, aimed to take a snapshot of the actual use that priests make of technology, in order to be more effective in reaching the heart of the greatest changes in the cultural world.

The study was carried out by the NewMinE (New Media in Education Lab) of the Universita della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, in collaboration with the School of Institutional Social Communications of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and with the support of the Congregation for Clergy…

…The average age of the respondents was 48 years old, and the average number of years ordained was 20.

The study showed that 94.7% of priests worldwide access the Internet on a daily basis for a variety of activities.

Of the respondents, 82.8% have access to a laptop and 81.2% to a desktop computer.

Other forms of access to technology include 90.6% of priests who have a cell phone, 73.1% who utilize digital cameras, 44.0% who possess an MP3 player and 25.7% who have other handheld devices.

Some 42% of priests expressed the belief that the use of digital technology has improved their performance in their mission.

Check out the rest here.