Pope Francis has urged contemplative nuns to employ 'careful discernment' in their use of social media and digital communication, such as Facebook and Twitter, in his Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere on female contemplative life, published Friday. These are "useful tools for formation and communication" but they can also lead to the "dissipation of or evasion from fraternal life, harm vocation or obstruct contemplation", Pope Francis wrote.

The apostolic constitution signed on 29 June focuses on training for nuns and the practice of lectio divina, as well as on specific criteria for the autonomy of contemplative communities and the organisation of convents into federations. The document is motivated by the need to enter into dialogue with contemporary society while at the same time safeguarding the "fundamental values" of the contemplative life whose characteristics of silence, listening and stability "can and must challenge the mentality of today".

In the document the pope says how much he appreciates the "contemplative sisters", adding that "the Church needs" them to carry "the good news of the Gospel" to contemporary man.

He also encourages the creation and multiplication of federations of female monasteries as "structures of communion between convents that share the same charisma". The pope said contemplative nuns could attend training "outside their convents, maintaining an atmosphere that is appropriate and coherent" with their vocation. However, he said recruiting candidates from other countries with the sole aim of ensuring the convent's survival was "absolutely to be avoided".