2009-10-29 15:13:15

Pope on Evangelising the Digital Continent


(29 Oct 09 - RV) Thursday morning Pope Benedict XVI addressed the participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. RealAudioMP3

In an age in which culture is formed, not just by content, but by the way it is communicated, the proclamation of the Gospel and Christian values can not be separated from the use of modern media technology.

That was the message at the heart of the Pope’s discourse to the plenary.

“Modern means of mass communication are fast and pervasive, technology is constantly evolving” he noted “capable of creating and spreading ideas and information in ways that are capillary, global, interactive and interconnected”.

However, the Pope also pointed out that it is not easy to understand a system which is constantly changing. Therefore it becomes complex for the Church located within the "digital continent" to be faithful to its mandate to evangelize:
 
"In fact, modern culture is the result, even before content, of these new forms of communication. It requires new languages, makes use of new techniques and has created a new psychology”.

All of this poses a challenge for the Church which is called to proclaim the Gospel to the people of the third millennium. The Church must remain faithful to the content of its message, while at the same time, make it understandable to modern society using the tools and methods suited to the mentality and culture of today".

Here, the Pope appealed to those in the Church, especially in the Council for Communications, to meet these challenges so as to" promote a culture of respect for the dignity and worth of the human person".
 
Pope Benedict concluded that for believers the required use of new media technologies, must always be supported by a steady vision of faith.

In short beyond the means that are used, the effectiveness of what you communicate depends primarily on the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.









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