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Pope Benedict: Go Forth And Blog
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| Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful during his weekly general audience on Jan. 13 in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. (Pier Paolo Cito/Associated Press) |
By HUGH MCNICHOL, For The Bulletin
Pope Benedict XVI is making use of new technologies in the communications field to spread the Gospel message. In his discourse for World Communications Day, the Pope made clear that the digital use of modern technologies are an essential part of priests’ resources in spreading the message of the Catholic Church. This is not the Catholic Church’s first attempt at using technology as a method for evangelization. Most of the inventions of the 19th and 20th centuries that enabled mass communications were adopted by the Catholic Church in its educational and evangelical activities from their inception.
In 1886, the Vatican had 10 telephones that were used to communicate inside the complex array of Vatican offices. In 1929, after the Lateran Pact, the Vatican initiated telephone service inside the newly independent Vatican City State and the rest of the world.
Vatican Radio was initiated in 1931. The radio station was designed and built under the direction of Guillermo Marconi, the Father of Radio.
The Vatican experimented with television broadcasting in the early 1930’s and, in the 1990’s, developed the Vatican Television Center (CTV).
The inclusion of the Internet as a tool for the Church is not a foreign concept as the Vatican already has its own Web site and posts everything from papal events, to encyclicals, to daily press releases. In addition to English, the Web site is maintained in other modern languages, including Latin for the Church purist.
Pope Benedict XVI was keen to utilize the “texting” medium during his visit to the United States a few years ago. News of his arrival was spread to millions of Catholics worldwide by the use of cellular telecommunications. The Pope also has his own e-mail address, to which Catholics can send him birthday wishes, prayers and other commentaries on his pontificate.
In the United States, many Cardinals and Bishops have taken to “blogging” to the faithful of their dioceses. The Cardinal Archbishop of Boston has a blog called “Cardinal Seán’s Blog,” Archbishop Dolan of New York blogs on a regular basis through the Archdiocese of New York’s Web site and Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia has his own Facebook fan page that is updated by the Office of Communications for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Cardinal Rigali also hosts a weekly radio show that is podcasted on the Internet as well (http://www.thebigtalker1210.com/pages/3314083.php).
The increased call to utilize modern means of communication shows that the Church is not only aware of the world’s developments in science and technology, but actually embraces these developments in its ministry.
In the near future, perhaps local parishes will increasingly embrace the use of digital technologies that go well beyond publishing a parish bulletin online for parishioners to read. This would enable those homebound to watch the parish’s Sunday Mass via the Internet and once again become part of the local parish community. Homily’s and liturgical celebrations could be electronically stored and transmitted for educational and evangelization purposes. The entire manner in which religious instruction and educational courses are provided could be accomplished by video and audio conferences. Limitations often caused by distance and time constraints could be bridged by holding parish meetings online and in real time web collaborations.
The Catholic Church is indeed on the threshold of a new age of global communications. While the technologies are not intended to replace or diminish the interpersonal interactions of a parish community gathered together in the celebration of the Eucharist, they will enhance the proclamation and celebration of the sacred rituals.
In 1886, the Vatican had 10 telephones that were used to communicate inside the complex array of Vatican offices. In 1929, after the Lateran Pact, the Vatican initiated telephone service inside the newly independent Vatican City State and the rest of the world.
Vatican Radio was initiated in 1931. The radio station was designed and built under the direction of Guillermo Marconi, the Father of Radio.
The Vatican experimented with television broadcasting in the early 1930’s and, in the 1990’s, developed the Vatican Television Center (CTV).
The inclusion of the Internet as a tool for the Church is not a foreign concept as the Vatican already has its own Web site and posts everything from papal events, to encyclicals, to daily press releases. In addition to English, the Web site is maintained in other modern languages, including Latin for the Church purist.
Pope Benedict XVI was keen to utilize the “texting” medium during his visit to the United States a few years ago. News of his arrival was spread to millions of Catholics worldwide by the use of cellular telecommunications. The Pope also has his own e-mail address, to which Catholics can send him birthday wishes, prayers and other commentaries on his pontificate.
In the United States, many Cardinals and Bishops have taken to “blogging” to the faithful of their dioceses. The Cardinal Archbishop of Boston has a blog called “Cardinal Seán’s Blog,” Archbishop Dolan of New York blogs on a regular basis through the Archdiocese of New York’s Web site and Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia has his own Facebook fan page that is updated by the Office of Communications for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Cardinal Rigali also hosts a weekly radio show that is podcasted on the Internet as well (http://www.thebigtalker1210.com/pages/3314083.php).
The increased call to utilize modern means of communication shows that the Church is not only aware of the world’s developments in science and technology, but actually embraces these developments in its ministry.
In the near future, perhaps local parishes will increasingly embrace the use of digital technologies that go well beyond publishing a parish bulletin online for parishioners to read. This would enable those homebound to watch the parish’s Sunday Mass via the Internet and once again become part of the local parish community. Homily’s and liturgical celebrations could be electronically stored and transmitted for educational and evangelization purposes. The entire manner in which religious instruction and educational courses are provided could be accomplished by video and audio conferences. Limitations often caused by distance and time constraints could be bridged by holding parish meetings online and in real time web collaborations.
The Catholic Church is indeed on the threshold of a new age of global communications. While the technologies are not intended to replace or diminish the interpersonal interactions of a parish community gathered together in the celebration of the Eucharist, they will enhance the proclamation and celebration of the sacred rituals.
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