Prior to a month or so ago, I hadn't been to the Vatican's Web site — vatican.va — since the publication of Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II's encyclical on the Eucharist in its relationship to the Church. That was last spring.

Why the reticence over the most authoritative of all Catholic Web sites? Well, my relationship with the Vatican site in the past had been a difficult one.

For one thing, when I was putting together my last book, Catholics on the Internet 2000-2001, the Vatican site changed its Web address at least twice. This forced me to keep updating the many links I had to the site. Not an insubstantial hassle, that. Plus the content, good as it's always been, had been difficult to navigate — and much of it has been redundant with content on other, easier sites. Bottom line: The site hadn't distinguished itself as one of the more user-friendly sites on the Internet. It was important but not indispensable.

Then came word that the Vatican had revamped its site. I had to see for myself. Sure enough, improvements abound.

The first thing to catch my eye was a colorful, artistic banner at the top. It was marked “The Redemptoris Mater Chapel.” I clicked on it and was whisked inside the chapel used by the Holy Father for his annual spiritual retreats. It, too, has recently been renovated; in fact, it was completely redone with mosaics on the walls and ceiling as a gift to the Holy Father for his 50th anniversary as a priest. Offered the choice between Flash and Shockwave for my virtual tour, I chose the latter. I was impressed with the entire presentation but especially with the capability to pan around the chapel and zoom in on various mosaics.

Back at the main page, I liked the link labeled “Latest.” Unlike similar links at many other sites, this one really does give you the most up-to-date information on what's going on with the Holy Father, the Church, the Vatican and the Web site.

Another welcome addition: You now have the capability to cross-reference the Bible, the Catechism and the Code of Canon Law. Click on any one of these and you can enable active links to the other two; this allows you to easily pull together related quotes, citations, footnotes and bibliographic material from those three major sources. Soon, we're told, papal documents will be added as well.

The “Paths of the Spirit” link on the main page brings you to selected writings of the Fathers of the Church and the saints. When I clicked on the link, nothing was listed in English. However, when I scrolled down to the bottom and selected “Search,” I was able to search by author or month. Choosing the “Saints” link brings you to a page listing all those canonized and made blessed by John Paul. For some, not all, you can see a photo or read their biography.

The “Liturgical Year” mouse rollover link brought me to a page with a circle depicting the various seasons the Church recognizes. There are links to the Pontifical Musical Chorus of the Sistine Chapel and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music for each season. Music can be downloaded and played in MP3 format. By choosing a season and the year, you will find yourself on a page indexing the Holy Father's comments for that time. You may also find television clips and a seasonal greeting.

World Youth Day, Peter's Pence and other links contain photos of the Holy Father in action as well as related links and commentary. You will want to check them out, especially if you attended any of these events.

There are many other nooks and crannies to explore here, including a section marking the 25th anniversary of John Paul's pontificate.

All in all, it seems clear the Vatican is following through on the Holy Father's address to the diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States on Feb. 21, 2003.

“The growth of the Internet in recent years provides an unprecedented opportunity for expanding the Church's missionary outreach,” he said that day, “since it has become a primary source of information and communication for so many of our contemporaries, especially the young.”

Brother John Raymond, co-founder of the Monks of Adoration, writes from Venice, Florida.