ACKNOWLEDGING the great potential of the new media in the proclamation of the Gospel, Pope Benedict XVI has urged for a greater presence of the Church in cyberspace.
In his 2011 message for World Communications Day, the pope said the digital era offers an arena that every Christian should take advantage of to make the presence of Christ known in a truthful way.
"I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible," the pontiff said.
The pope noted that the internet has allowed "people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships."
The Vatican has, of late, strengthened its presence in the internet by making use of the social networks in its attempt to reach out to the younger generation who are internet savvy.
Aside from its presence in Youtube, Facebook and Twitter, the Vatican also maintains Pope2you.net, a web portal launched in 2009 during the 43rd World Communications Day.
Visita Iglesia online
Mindful of the pope’s call to use the internet responsibly for evangelization, the media office of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in time for the Holy Week observance, has launched a website that caters to overseas Filipino workers and physically impaired to join the celebration of Holy Week and Easter.
Dubbed Visita Iglesia Online, the Lenten site which can be accessed at http://visitaiglesia.net offers a virtual experience of celebrating Lent, Holy Week and Easter at the comfort of one’s room—in front of a multimedia laptop or desktop which somehow becomes a virtual chapel for those who will not make it to churches.
But CBCP Media Director Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, said the site should not be used as a substitute to the liturgical celebrations done in parishes.
He said those who have the capability to celebrate liturgical services in their parish churches should do so.
“The liturgy is a community act and being so it is most meaningfully celebrated in the context of the community or the parish,” he stressed.
The website features various resources for spiritual growth and deepening of one’s faith.
It also includes catechesis and reflections for Lent, Holy Week and Easter preached by bishops and priests.
The “online church-goer” (OCG) will have the traditional Visita Iglesia in a multimedia presentation that features 14 shrines and pilgrimage churches to correspond with the 14 Stations of the Cross with reflections given by priests.
It also features the traditional Seven Last Words and the Pasyon.
The site likewise highlights the architectural marvel of centuries-old baroque churches in the country.
Social networks
Visita iglesia online is only one and the latest among the list of media platforms the CBCP media office maintains to intensify its work of evangelization via the internet.
Aside from its regular websites: www.cbcpnews.com; www.cbcponline.net; www.cbcponlineradio.com; www.cbcpworld.net; the media office has also brought its evangelization efforts into the arena of social networking through Facebook and Twitter.
The sites of Good Morning CBCP and CBCPNews on Facebook currently have a registered likes of 3,121 and 2,437 respectively, while CBCPNews in Twitter has 1,876 followers.
The office also keeps a Youtube account at www.youtube.com/cbcpmedia and blogs of bishops and priests at www.cbcponline.net.
Internet bloggers
Although the Vatican has solidified its presence in various social networks, setting up Youtube and Facebook accounts for the pope, its’ “relationship with blogs, however, has been a little more prickly,” according to a CNA report.
In an unparalleled move, the Vatican has issued an invitation for a meeting among internet bloggers in May, in time for the beatification of Pope John Paul II and the expected influx of international bloggers in Rome.
The first ever meeting is seen as an effort on the part of the Church “to give bloggers and Church representatives a chance to move beyond the relatively impersonal medium of the Internet and establish a more personal connection.”
Authentic presence
Although lauding the great potential of digital technology, the pope nonetheless called for a more authentic presence, especially in social networks, where there is the danger to create a "parallel existence."
"Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world. In the search for sharing, for “friends”, there is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself," he said.
He said that the presence of Christian believers in cyberspace help bear witness to the truth of Christ.
“In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfillment” (cf. Eph 1:10), said the pope.
“Believers who bear witness to their most profound convictions greatly help prevent the web from becoming an instrument which depersonalizes people, attempts to manipulate them emotionally or allows those who are powerful to monopolize the opinions of others,” the pope further said.
Recognizing the expertise of young people in digital technology and their ubiquitous presence in social networking sites, the pontiff urged them to “make good use of their presence in the digital world”, even as he noted that new technologies play a great part in the preparations being done for the upcoming World Youth Day in Madrid.
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