Next World Communications Day on social networks

(September 29, 2012) “Social networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization” is the theme that Pope Benedict XVI has chosen for the Catholic Church’s 47^th World Communications Day to be observed on May 12, 2013. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council of Social Communications released the theme on Saturday, the feast of Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, of whom Gabriel is the patron of broadcasters and communications. The council explained that the Pope’s choice of the theme in the context of the Year of Faith, beginning next month, suggests a series of important points for reflection. “During a time in which technology has emerged as part of the fabric of connectivity of human experiences, such as relationships and knowledge, we need to ask: can it help men and women meet Christ in faith?” “ It is not enough to find an adequate language, but rather, it is necessary to learn how to present the Gospel as the answer to that basic human yearning for meaning and faith, which has already found expression online.” “Such an approach, which will serve to create a more dynamic and humane digital world,” the Pontifical Council said, “requires a new way of thinking. “It is not simply a question of how to use the internet as a means of evangelization, but instead of how to evangelize in a context where the lives of people find expression also in the digital arena.” The council pointed to the enormous popularity of the social networks, that offer dialogical and interactive forms of communication and relationships. World Communications Day, is celebrated in most countries on the Sunday before Pentecost. The Holy Father’s message for World Communications Day is traditionally published in conjunction with the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers (January 24).