Pope to priests: Give us this day our daily blog

The leader of the Catholic Church has announced to his leaders and priests that they should be actively involved with the digital era and has called for a strong pastoral presence online.

by Helen Leggatt

Don't believe for one minute that the Catholic Church remains in the Dark Ages when it comes to new technology. The Vatican has long had a website, and the Pope even has his own Facebook application and YouTube channel.

Now, however, the church's leader, Pope Benedict XVI, is urging priests to embrace social media to spread the good word and bond with the faithful across greater distances. The announcement was made via a message regarding the theme of this year's World Communications Day (May 16, 2010), "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word".

"The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts," said the Pope's message.

"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."

Of course, the Pope's message also included words of caution for any priests who might be inspired to become Internet celebrities or spend their Sunday mornings preaching from a virtual pulpit from the comfort of their lounge suite. "Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ."

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