A Penitent Blogger
Pope: Priests and believers to witness online
"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.
"Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis.
"Using new communication technologies, priests can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ.
*****
"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.
"At the same time, priests 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.
"To my dear brother priests, then, I renew the invitation to make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications."
Pope Benedict XVI
from his Message for World Communications Day 2010
(celebrated Sunday, May 16, but issued today)
"Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis.
"Using new communication technologies, priests can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ.
*****
"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.
"At the same time, priests 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.
"To my dear brother priests, then, I renew the invitation to make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications."
Pope Benedict XVI
from his Message for World Communications Day 2010
(celebrated Sunday, May 16, but issued today)
posted by Penitens | 9:33 AM
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