THE CHURCH AND THE NEW MEDIA

Pope Benedict XVI, Shepherd of Truth

Notable quotations from Pope Benedict XVI and official
teachings of the Roman Catholic Church

"NEW POSSIBILITIES"

The theme of this year's World Communications Day [5/16/2010] - The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word - ... 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.

"ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT"

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.

"A NEW ERA"

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."

"FAITHFUL WITNESSES"

... Priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel, exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different "voices" provided by the digital marketplace.

LEAD PEOPLE TO JESUS

Using new communications technologies, priests can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ.

"GOD'S LOVING CARE"

God's loving care for all people in Christ must be expressed in the digital world not simply as an artifact from the past, or a learned theory, but as something concrete, present and engaging.

"OPENING THE DOOR"

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.

(Source: Message for World Communications Day, issued 1/24/10)