Message of Pope Benedict XVI on World Communication Day

(May 15, 2010) Here we have the Message of Pope Benedict XVI for the World Communications Day celebrated on the 16^th of May 2010. World Communications Day, the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council in1963, is celebrated in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on the Sunday before Pentecost. The announcement of the theme is made on September 29, the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, who has been designated as the patron of those who work in radio. The Holy Father's message for World Communications Day is traditionally published in conjunction with the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers on January 24, to allow bishops' conferences and diocesan offices sufficient time to prepare audiovisual and other materials for national and local celebrations. The Church, realizing that she is truly and intimately linked with mankind and its history, wishes by means of this initiative proposed by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, to draw the attention of her children and of all men of good will to the vast and complex phenomenon of the modern means of social communication, such as the press, motion pictures, radio and television, which form one of the most characteristic notes of modern civilization. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications takes the responsibility of transmitting the message of the Holy Father to the world.
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. First established by Pope Pius XII in 1948 and later given wider jurisdiction and new names by successive popes, most recently by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988, is responsible for using the various forms of the media in spreading the Gospel. The current President of the Council for Social Communications is His Excellency Claudio Maria Celli, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on June 27, 2007. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is involved in questions regarding the means of social communication, so that, also by these means, human progress and the message of salvation may benefit secular culture and mores. The chief task of this Council is to encourage and support in a timely and suitable way the action of the Church and her members in the many forms of social communication.
In his message for the 44th World Day for Social Communications, Pope Benedict XVI calls for priests to "make astute use" of available technology in becoming a presence as community leaders on the web. However, he urges them to remain "less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart." The Theme for the 2010 World Day for Social Communications is: "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word." The Holy Father’s message aims to draw attention to the possibilities for priestly ministry offered within the "important and sensitive pastoral area of digital communications." The concept of New Media at the Service of the Word, says the Holy Father “is meant to coincide with the Church’s celebration of the Year for Priests. It focuses attention on the important and sensitive pastoral area of digital communications, in which priests can discover new possibilities for carrying out their ministry to and for the Word of God. Church communities have always used the modern media for fostering communication, engagement with society, and, increasingly, for encouraging dialogue at a wider level. Yet the recent, explosive growth and greater social impact of these media make them all the more important for a fruitful priestly ministry.” Thus for every priest, states the Holy Father, in fulfilling the fundamental priority of building up God's communion, "necessarily involves using new communications technologies."
The Pontiff then places strong emphasis on the role of a Priest in the proclamation of God’s Word to humanity. He says: “All priests have as their primary duty the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, and the communication of his saving grace in the sacraments. Gathered and called by the Word, the Church is the sign and instrument of the communion that God creates with all people, and every priest is called to build up this communion, in Christ and with Christ. Such is the lofty dignity and beauty of the mission of the priest, which responds in a special way to the challenge raised by the Apostle Paul.” As St Paul tells the Roman Community: “No one who believes in him will be put to shame … everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?”
The Holy Father then invites all the Priests to respond to the challenges presented by the modern world of Communication. Communication is commonly understood as the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Communication can be perceived as a two-way process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings or ideas towards a mutually accepted goal or direction. Communication is also understood as a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. The Pope says that responding adequately to this challenge amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communications technologies. The world of digital communication, he says, with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel”. The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts. Thus "Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word."
Pope Benedict XVI stresses the importance of the Priests in the world of today as leaders and faithful witnesses of the Gospel to the world. The world has moved ahead in various modes of communications and he invites the clergy to be vigilant and watchful to meet the challenges. He says that the spread of multimedia communications and its rich “menu of options” might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web, or to see it only as a space to be filled. Yet priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful ministers of the Word, exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different “voices” provided by the digital marketplace. Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources such as, images, videos, animated features, blogs, and websites, which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis. The pope said that while priests should not abandon traditional methods of pastoral interaction, they cannot afford to pass up the opportunities offered by digital media. He added that "the recent, explosive growth and greater social impact of these media make them all the more important for a fruitful priestly ministry."
For priests to exercise their proper role as leaders in communities, they must learn to express themselves in the "digital marketplace," the pope said. With proper formation on how to use these technologies appropriately and competently, "shaped by sound theological insights and reflecting a strong priestly spirituality grounded in constant dialogue with the Lord" priests have the opportunity to "introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ." They will best achieve this aim if they learn, from the time of their formation, how to use these technologies in a competent and appropriate way, shaped by sound theological insights and reflecting a strong priestly spirituality grounded in constant dialogue with the Lord.
Yet priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ. This will not only enliven their pastoral outreach, but also will give a “soul” to the fabric of communications that makes up the “Web”. "Yet," cautions the Holy Father, "priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ." The priest should able to express God’s loving care for all people in Christ must be expressed in the digital world not simply as an artefact from the past, or a learned theory, but as something concrete, present and engaging. Our pastoral presence in that world must thus serve to show our contemporaries, especially the many people in our day who experience uncertainty and confusion, “that God is near; that in Christ we all belong to one another”

Pope Benedict then stresses the pastoral presence of the priest whose immediate task is to bring the word of God to all. The Pontiff declares, “Who better than a priest, as a man of God, can develop and put into practice, by his competence in current digital technology, a pastoral outreach capable of making God concretely present in today’s world and presenting the religious wisdom of the past as a treasure which can inspire our efforts to live in the present with dignity while building a better future? Consecrated men and women working in the media have a special responsibility for opening the door to new forms of encounter, maintaining the quality of human interaction, and showing concern for individuals and their genuine spiritual needs. They can thus help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord’s presence, to grow in expectation and hope, and to draw near to the Word of God which offers salvation and fosters an integral human development. In this way the Word can traverse the many crossroads created by the intersection of all the different “highways” that form “cyberspace”, and show that God has his rightful place in every age, including our own. Thanks to the new communications media, the Lord can walk the streets of our cities and, stopping before the threshold of our homes and our hearts, say once more as in the Book of revelations: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me”.
The Pope then refers to his World Communications day Message of previous year and says that in his Message last year, he encouraged leaders in the world of communications to promote a culture of respect for the dignity and value of the human person. This is one of the ways in which the Church is called to exercise a “diaconia or service of culture” on today’s “digital continent”. With the Gospels in our hands and in our hearts, we must reaffirm the need to continue preparing ways that lead to the Word of God, while being at the same time constantly attentive to those who continue to seek; indeed, we should encourage their seeking as a first step of evangelization. A pastoral presence in the world of digital communications, precisely because it brings us into contact with the followers of other religions, non-believers and people of every culture, requires sensitivity to those who do not believe, the disheartened and those who have a deep, unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute. Like Prophet Isaiah who envisioned a house of prayer for all peoples, the Pope asks can we not see the web as also offering a space – like the “Court of the Gentiles” of the Temple of Jerusalem – for those who have not yet come to know God.
Pope Benedict in his message says that the development of the new technologies and the larger digital world represents a great resource for humanity as a whole and for every individual, and it can act as a stimulus to encounter and dialogue. But this development likewise represents a great opportunity for believers. No door can or should be closed to those who, in the name of the risen Christ, are committed to drawing near to others. To priests in particular the new media offer ever new and far-reaching pastoral possibilities, encouraging them to embody the universality of the Church’s mission, to build a vast and real fellowship, and to testify in today’s world to the new life which comes from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, the eternal Son who came among us for our salvation. The Pope reiterates the essential quality of the priest's spiritual life and solid grounding in faith to his ministry through new technologies at the end of the message, saying that he "must always bear in mind that the ultimate fruitfulness of their ministry comes from Christ himself, encountered and listened to in prayer; proclaimed in preaching and lived witness; and known, loved and celebrated in the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation."
The message of the Holy Father ends with a renewed invitation to the clergy, the brother priests "to make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications. May the Lord make all of you enthusiastic heralds of the Gospel in the new gathering place which the current media are opening up," he says. In this year for the priests Pope Benedict XVI placing his trust and confidence in the priests, invokes the protection of Mary the Mother of God and of the Holy Curè of Ars and, with affection he says he imparts his Apostolic Blessing.