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