Following Archbishop Celli's address, Msgr. Tighe explained that "the Pope
takes for granted the importance of the digital environment as a reality in
the lives of many people. It is not some sort of parallel or merely virtual
world but an
existential environment where people live and move. It is a &lsq
o;continent’ where the Church must be present and where believers, if
they are to be authentic in their presence, will seek to share with others the
deepest source of their joy and
hope, Jesus Christ. The forum created by the social networks allows us to
share the truth that the Lord has passed to His Church, to listen to others,
to learn about their cares and concerns, to understand who they are and for
what they are
Subject: VISnews130124
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
searching."
Likewise, the Holy Father "identifies some of the challenges that we must
address if our presence is to be effective. We must become more fluent in the
language of the social networks; a language that is born of the convergence of
text, image and
sound, a language that is characterized by brevity and that seeks to engage
hearts and minds as well as the intellect. In this regard, the Pope reminds us
to draw on our Christian heritage which is rich in signs, symbols and artistic
expression. We need
to remember a basic truth of communications: our witness – our actions
and our patterns of behaviour – is often more eloquent than our words
and proclamations in expressing who we are and what we believe. In the digital
arena, the Pope
suggests that our willingness to engage patiently and respectfully with the
questions and doubts of those we encounter in the networks can be a powerful
expression of our care and concern for them. Notwithstanding the challenges, we
should always be hopeful."
___________________________________________________________
MESSAGE FOR 47TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – "Social Networks: Portals of
Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation" is the title chosen by the
Pope for his message for the World Communications Day this year. The message
is dated from the
Vatican, 24 January, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers and
journalists. Following is the full text of the message.
"As the 2013 World Communications Day draws near, I would like to offer you
some reflections on an increasingly important reality regarding the way in
which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the
development of digital
social networks which are helping to create a new 'agora', an open public
square in which people share ideas, information, and opinions, and in which
new relationships and forms of community can come into being.
These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help to foster forms
of dialogue and debate that, if conducted respectfully and with concern for
privacy, responsibility, and truthfulness, can reinforce the bonds of unity
between individuals
and effectively promote the harmony of the human family. The exchange of
information can become true communication, links ripen into friendships, and
connections facilitate communion. If the networks are called to realize this
great potential, the
people involved in them must make an effort to be authentic since, in these
spaces, it is not only ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately
our very selves.
The development of social networks calls for commitment: people are engaged
in building relationships and making friends, in looking for answers to their
questions and being entertained, but also in finding intellectual stimulation
and sharing
knowledge and know-how. The networks are increasingly becoming part of the
very fabric of society, inasmuch as they bring people together on the basis of
these fundamental needs. Social networks are thus nourished by aspirations
rooted in the human
heart.
The culture of social networks and the changes in the means and styles of
communication pose demanding challenges to those who want to speak about truth
and values. Often, as is also the case with other means of social
communication, the significance
and effectiveness of the various forms of expression appear to be determined
more by their popularity than by their intrinsic importance and value.
Popularity, for its part, is often linked to celebrity or to strategies of
persuasion rather than to the
logic of argumentation. At times the gentle voice of reason can be overwhelmed
by the din of excessive information and it fails to attract attention, which
is given instead to those who express themselves in a more persuasive manner.
The social media
thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue,
reasoned debate and logical argumentation; of people who strive to cultivate
forms of discourse and expression that appeal to the noblest aspirations of
those engaged in the communication process. Dialogue and debate can also
flourish and grow when we converse with and take seriously people whose ideas
are different from our own. 'Given the reality of cultural diversity, people
need not only to accept
the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by
it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and
beautiful'.
The challenge facing social networks is how to be truly inclusive: thus
they will benefit from the full participation of believers who desire to share
the message of Jesus and the values of human dignity which His teaching
promotes. Believers are
increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the
digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this
existential space is important. The digital environment is not a parallel or
purely virtual world, but
is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young. Social
networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also
reshape the dynamics of communication which builds relationships: a considered
understanding of this
environment is therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there.
The ability to employ the new languages is required, not just to keep up
with the times, but precisely in order to enable the infinite richness of the
Gospel to find forms of expression capable of reaching the minds and hearts of
all. In the digital
environment the written word is often accompanied by images and sounds.
Effective communication, as in the parables of Jesus, must involve the
imagination and the affectivity of those we wish to invite to an encounter
with the mystery of God’s
love. Besides, we know that Christian tradition has always been rich in signs
and symbols: I think for example of the Cross, icons, images of the Virgin
Mary, Christmas cribs, stained-glass windows and pictures in our churches. A
significant part of
mankind’s artistic heritage has been created by artists and musicians
who sought to express the truths of the faith.
In social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the
profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God
revealed in Christ Jesus. This sharing consists not only in the explicit
expression of their faith, but
also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate 'choices,
preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even
when it is not spoken of specifically'. A particularly significant way of
offering such witness will be
through a willingness to give oneself to others by patiently and respectfully
engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for
the truth and the meaning of human existence. The growing dialogue in social
networks about faith
and belief confirms the importance and relevance of religion in public debate
and in the life of society.
For those who have accepted the gift of faith with an open heart, the most
radical response to mankind’s questions about love, truth and the
meaning of life – questions certainly not absent from social networks
– are found in the
person of Jesus Christ. It is natural for those who have faith to desire to
share it, respectfully and tactfully, with those they meet in the digital
forum. Ultimately, however, if our efforts to share the Gospel bring forth
good fruit, it is always
because of the power of the word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any
of our own efforts. Trust in the power of God’s work must always be
greater than any confidence we place in human means. In the digital
environment, too, where it is easy
for heated and divisive voices to be raised and where sensationalism can at
times prevail, we are called to attentive discernment. Let us recall in this
regard that Elijah recognized the voice of God not in the great and strong
wind,
not in the earthquake or the fire, but in 'a still, small voice'. We need to
trust in the fact that the basic human desire to love and to be loved, and to
find meaning and truth – a desire which God himself has placed in the
heart of every man and
woman – keeps our contemporaries ever open to what Blessed Cardinal
Newman called the 'kindly light' of faith.
Social networks, as well as being a means of evangelisation, can also be a
factor in human development. As an example, in some geographical and cultural
contexts where Christians feel isolated, social networks can reinforce their
sense of real unity
with the worldwide community of believers. The networks facilitate the sharing
of spiritual and liturgical resources, helping people to pray with a greater
sense of closeness to those who share the same faith. An authentic and
interactive engagement
with the questions and the doubts of those who are distant from the faith
should make us feel the need to nourish, by prayer and reflection, our faith
in the presence of God as well as our practical charity: 'If I speak in the
tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal'.
In the digital world there are social networks which offer our
contemporaries opportunities for prayer, meditation and sharing the word of
God. But these networks can also open the door to other dimensions of faith.
Many people are actually
discovering, precisely thanks to a contact initially made online, the
importance of direct encounters, experiences of community and even pilgrimage,
elements which are always important in the journey of faith. In our effort to
make the Gospel present in
the digital world, we can invite people to come together for prayer or
liturgical celebrations in specific places such as churches and chapels. There
should be no lack of coherence or unity in the expression of our faith and
witness to the Gospel in
whatever reality we are called to live, whether physical or digital. When we
are present to others, in any way at all, we are called to make known the love
of God to the furthest ends of the earth.
I pray that God’s Spirit will accompany you and enlighten you always,
and I cordially impart my blessing to all of you, that you may be true heralds
and witnesses of the Gospel. 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to
the whole
creation'."
___________________________________________________________
TELEGRAM IN COMMEMORATION OF GIOVANNI AGNELLI
Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State
Tarcisio Bertone ,S.D.B., sent a telegram in the Holy Father's name to
Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin, Italy for the memorial Mass of Sen.
Giovanni Agnelli, president of the
Fiat automobile manufacturer, on the tenth anniversary of his death.
In the text the Pope recalls the senator who, "over more than a half
century, was the centre of national and international attention for his
remarkable entrepreneurial skills" as well as "his Christian faith, which
crowned a long and fruitful
existence."
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father appointed
as members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology: Dr. Carlo
Ebanista, associate professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology in the
Humanities and Social
Sciences faculty of the University of Molise, Italy and professor of
Antiquities and Medieval Archaeology in the Arts and Philosophy department of
the Federico II University in Naples, Italy; Dr. Emilio Marin, tenured
professor of Roman Archaeology at
the University of Split, Croatia and member of the Academie des Inscriptions
et Belles Lettres of the Institut de France.
___________________________________________________________
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