An unprecedented gathering of bishops from North and South America and the Vatican, held in Denver pulsed with enthusiasm for the Internet and other new media technologies - while also harbouring reservations about their ethical and cultural implications.
Esther Dyson informed the bishops that the internet will challenge the Catholic Church to be more accountable.
In the 1990s, the indigenous of Latin America - 20 million to 40 million, depending on who is counting - are at the bottom of the socio-economic heap, yet in the forefront of the news.