As the 2013 World Communications Day draws near, I would
like to offer you some reflections on an increasingly important reality
regarding the way in which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the development of digital
social networks which are helping to create a new “agora”, an open public
square in which people share ideas, information and opinions, and in which new
relationships and forms of community can come into being.
These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help
to foster forms of dialogue and debate which, if conducted respectfully and
with concern for privacy, responsibility and truthfulness, can reinforce the
bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the
human family. The exchange of
information can become true communication, links ripen into friendships, and
connections facilitate communion. If the
networks are called to realize this great potential, the people involved in
them must make an effort to be authentic since, in these spaces, it is not only
ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately our very selves.
The development of social networks calls for commitment:
people are engaged in building relationships and making friends, in looking for
answers to their questions and being entertained, but also in finding
intellectual stimulation and sharing knowledge and know-how. The networks are increasingly becoming part
of the very fabric of society, inasmuch as they bring people together on the
basis of these fundamental needs. Social
networks are thus nourished by aspirations rooted in the human heart.
The culture of social networks and the changes in the means
and styles of communication pose demanding challenges to those who want to
speak about truth and values. Often, as
is also the case with other means of social communication, the significance and
effectiveness of the various forms of expression appear to be determined more
by their popularity than by their intrinsic importance and value. Popularity, for its part, is often linked to
celebrity or to strategies of persuasion rather than to the logic of
argumentation. At times the gentle voice
of reason can be overwhelmed by the din of excessive information and it fails
to attract attention which is given instead to those who express themselves in
a more persuasive manner. The social
media thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of
dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation; of people who strive to cultivate
forms of discourse and expression which appeal to the noblest aspirations of
those engaged in the communication process.
Dialogue and debate can also flourish and grow when we converse with and
take seriously people whose ideas are different from our own. “Given the reality of cultural diversity,
people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also
to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is
good, true and beautiful” (Address at the Meeting with the World of Culture,
Bélem, Lisbon, 12 May 2010).
The challenge facing social networks is how to be truly
inclusive: thus they will benefit from the full participation of believers who
desire to share the message of Jesus and the values of human dignity which his
teaching promotes. Believers are
increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the digital
world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this
existential space is important. The
digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of
the daily experience of many people, especially the young. Social networks are the result of human
interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication
which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is
therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there.
The ability to employ the new languages is required, not
just to keep up with the times, but precisely in order to enable the infinite
richness of the Gospel to find forms of expression capable of reaching the
minds and hearts of all. In the digital
environment the written word is often accompanied by images and sounds. Effective communication, as in the parables
of Jesus, must involve the imagination and the affectivity of those we wish to
invite to an encounter with the mystery of God’s love. Besides, we know that Christian tradition has
always been rich in signs and symbols: I think for example of the Cross, icons,
images of the Virgin Mary, Christmas cribs, stained-glass windows and pictures
in our churches. A significant part of
mankind’s artistic heritage has been created by artists and musicians who
sought to express the truths of the faith.
In social networks, believers show their authenticity by
sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and
loving God revealed in Christ Jesus.
This sharing consists not only in the explicit expression of their faith,
but also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate “choices,
preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when
it is not spoken of specifically” (Message for the 2011 World Communications
Day). A particularly significant way of
offering such witness will be through a willingness to give oneself to others
by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they
advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence. The growing dialogue in social networks about
faith and belief confirms the importance and relevance of religion in public
debate and in the life of society.
For those who have accepted the gift of faith with an open
heart, the most radical response to mankind’s questions about love, truth and
the meaning of life – questions certainly not absent from social networks – are
found in the person of Jesus Christ. It
is natural for those who have faith to desire to share it, respectfully and
tactfully, with those they meet in the digital forum. Ultimately, however, if our efforts to share
the Gospel bring forth good fruit, it is always because of the power of the
word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any of our own efforts. Trust in the power of God’s work must always
be greater than any confidence we place in human means. In the digital environment, too, where it is
easy for heated and divisive voices to be raised and where sensationalism can
at times prevail, we are called to attentive discernment. Let us recall in this regard that Elijah
recognized the voice of God not in the great and strong wind, not in the
earthquake or the fire, but in “a still, small voice” (1 Kg 19:11-12). We need to trust in the fact that the basic
human desire to love and to be loved, and to find meaning and truth – a desire
which God himself has placed in the heart of every man and woman – keeps our
contemporaries ever open to what Blessed Cardinal Newman called the “kindly
light” of faith.
Social networks, as well as being a means of evangelization,
can also be a factor in human development.
As an example, in some geographical and cultural contexts where
Christians feel isolated, social networks can reinforce their sense of real
unity with the worldwide community of believers. The networks facilitate the sharing of
spiritual and liturgical resources, helping people to pray with a greater sense
of closeness to those who share the same faith.
An authentic and interactive engagement with the questions and the
doubts of those who are distant from the faith should make us feel the need to
nourish, by prayer and reflection, our faith in the presence of God as well as
our practical charity: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1).
In the digital world there are social networks which offer
our contemporaries opportunities for prayer, meditation and sharing the word of
God. But these networks can also open
the door to other dimensions of faith.
Many people are actually discovering, precisely thanks to a contact
initially made online, the importance of direct encounters, experiences of
community and even pilgrimage, elements which are always important in the
journey of faith. In our effort to make
the Gospel present in the digital world, we can invite people to come together
for prayer or liturgical celebrations in specific places such as churches and
chapels. There should be no lack of
coherence or unity in the expression of our faith and witness to the Gospel in
whatever reality we are called to live, whether physical or digital. When we are present to others, in any way at
all, we are called to make known the love of God to the furthest ends of the
earth.
I pray that God’s Spirit will accompany you and enlighten
you always, and I cordially impart my blessing to all of you, that you may be
true heralds and witnesses of the Gospel.
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk
16:15).
From the Vatican, 24 January 2013, Feast of Saint Francis de
Sales.Full text of
This is great and thanks so much...I put it on my blog and gave you credit for the information. God bless you.
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DeleteThank you, though there is no need to acknowledge anything from my blog. You may use it freely for sake of God and his Church.
Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam