Conversations, communications and the digital culture

(Vatican Radio) Journalists and analysts around the world continue to debate the recent interviews that Pope Francis has given to both Catholic and secular newspapers and magazines. Earlier this month the left-leaning Italian daily La Repubblica published a lengthy conversation the Pope had with the paper’s founder, Eugenio Scalfari. Two weeks earlier, Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro released an in-depth interview he conducted with Pope Francis during the course of three meetings at the Santa Martha guesthouse here in the Vatican.

As the debate over these ‘conversations’ continues, let’s listen again to the Holy Father’s own words recently to members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications who held their plenary assembly here in Rome in September. The three day meeting was focused on developing a culture of encounter with the Church through the use of social networks and other internet technology…..

In his words to participants, Pope Francis said the goal of the Church’s communications efforts is “to understand how to enter into dialogue with the men and women of today in order to appreciate their desires, their doubts and their hopes.” He said we must examine if this communications work is helping others to meet Christ and to rediscover the beauty of faith that is at the heart of our existence.

Among those listening to the Pope’s words was Canadian author and Professor Randy Boyagoda from Ryerson University in Toronto, who was invited as an observer to the three day meeting….


Listen:


"Really, I’m looking for opportunities to contribute to the work of the Church in the context of young people at university…..

Digital connections run through the life of the Church but they’re not an end in themselves…..we mustn’t overvalue technology but we must achieve the right balance of using it without being used by it…..

My parents came from Sri Lanka in the late 60s…..for me, telling stories involves trying to bringing together my life as the son of Sri Lankan immigrants, my life as a husband and father in Toronto, my life as a professor and writer….for me Sri Lanka is a profound, beautiful and tragic place, caught between tradition and modernity – part of my interest is exploring that quality and the tensions of human life in that space between tradition and modernity – in Sri Lanka or here in Rome."