Catholic Culture (1/24/13) – Pope Benedict, who has written frequently on the importance of a strong Christian presence on the internet, recognizes the immense influence of the new social media. “The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world,” he writes, “but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young.”

Pope Benedict XVI encourages an active and distinctively Christian involvement in the social media, in his message for the 47th World Communications Day.

The social media, the Pope writes, 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.” In his message he offers some cautions about the use of the social media, but also some suggestions on how Christians can use this new means of communication most effectively.

Pope Benedict, who has written frequently on the importance of a strong Christian presence on the internet, recognizes the immense influence of the new social media. “The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world,” he writes, “but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young.” In this new environment, he says, “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.” Consequently the social media offer many different sorts of opportunities for evangelization, for building Christian communities, and for providing help to others.

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