Say a little prayer for your ISP

Net users in the Catholic Church want to canonise a dead Spanish bishop and make him the patron saint of the Internet. Born in 560AD, Isidore of Seville is regarded by many as the best choice for such a saintly position. His compilation of a 20-volume encyclopaedia -- one of the world's first databases -- makes him an ideal choice for the position. The Vatican has confirmed it has received a number of enquiries about Isidore's beatification and has said it is considering the appointment, according to a report in the Sunday Times. So it seems Net users struggling to make headway in the wibbly wobbly web could soon be able to set up a shrine next to their PCs to pray to Isidore in times of trouble. Of course, there are other problems associated with the presence of holy water, candles and incense near a keyboard but no doubt these could be overcome. If the Vatican is serious about Saint Isidore, it had better get its skates on and register a domain. While www.stisidoreofseville.com is still available, someone has already pinched www.netsaint.com. ®