The annual message of the Holy Father for the World Communications Day of this year, which was issued on 24 January, feast of Saint Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists, is all the more pertinent, current and prophetic. Its subject matter purposely coincides with the Year for Priests which the Universal Church is celebrating throughout this year. Thus, the theme chosen runs as follows: “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word”.
We are living in a one compact digital continent. Nowadays the digital world offers myriad of opportunities for people around the globe to get in touch with each other. This new agorà virtually connects millions of users from every corner of the world to communicate with one another. This immense online marketplace has become the forum for every kind of exchange and for the countless number of reasons one could ever imagine.
Pastorally speaking, modern communication technologies provide for us priests exceptional ways of transmitting the Good News of salvation through the Web. In virtue of our priestly ordination we have been entrusted by Jesus the subsequent mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt 28, 19-20). On us priests falls the responsibility to witness for Jesus and make him known to others through every possible means, including and especially via the wise usage of the new technologies, bearing in mind what Saint Paul wrote to the Romans: “The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame’… For, ‘every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10, 11. 13-15).
The zealous heart of every committed priest should, in this graced year dedicated to us, exclaim with the greatest of vigour, faith and unrelenting commitment: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor 9, 16). The new technologies of this digital era are the powerful instruments by which we, as priests, are called to bear witness to Him, who “had called [us] through his grace” (Gal 1, 15) “to carry his name before the Gentiles and kings” (Acts 9, 15) of our time. Pope Benedict XVI was adamant and encouraging when he appealed to us to generously and responsibly engage ourselves in the new evangelisation through the internet. “Yet 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. 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.”
In his concluding remark on the dire need for evangelisation, Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans, exclaims with great joy Isaiah’s prophecy: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” (Rom 10, 15). How much more blessed are those of us priests who use the cyberspace to fill it with Christ’s saving presence!
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap