Vatican official urges use of technology to proclaim Gospel

Santiago, Chile, Apr 11, 2013 / 15:02 pm

The president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, encouraged Catholics to make bold use of new technologies in the work of evangelization.

During the second International Seminar on Communications in the Church taking place in Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celli used statistics and graphics to show the evolution of the use of the social networks by different generations, underscoring their strong impact on young people.

In his address entitled, "Communications and the Second Vatican Council: Can a Council held 50 years ago still be current?" Archbishop Celli recalled that the last pontificates have highlighted the challenges raised by the new technologies.

"The new technologies are part of the Church's very mission. The last pontiffs help us to understand that the vocation of social communications in the Church means presenting the truth about man," he said.

Archbishop Celli noted that Blessed John Paul II placed great importance on the use of the new technologies in evangelization, especially with his Apostolic Letter entitled, "Rapid Development."

In addition, however, Benedict XVI emphasized that evangelization needs authentic Christian testimonies. "We cannot imagine that the proclamation, with the most current technologies, not include a profound personal testimony of faith in Our Lord," he said.

"That is why people today like listening more to those who share their testimonies than to those who teach. And if they listen to those who teach it is because they share their testimonies."