Vatican City (
AsiaNews) - For the Church, the internet, even with its "dangerous
illusions and traps to be avoided", "is essential " , but at the
same time " not enough." The
proclamation of the Gospel, in fact, " requires authentic and direct human
relationships to result in a personal encounter with the Lord."
This
was Pope Francis' message today to participants at the Plenary Assembly of the
Pontifical Council for the Laity held in recent days on the theme:
"Proclaiming Christ in the digital age ."
"This
is - the Pope said - a privileged field for youth work, for whom the 'network'
is , so to speak , a natural part of life. The internet is a widespread,
complex and constantly evolving reality, and its development
raises anew the ever present question in the relationship between faith and
culture. Already during the first centuries of the Christian era, the Church
wanted to compete with the extraordinary legacy of Greek culture. Faced with
the philosophies of great depth and a method of education of exceptional value,
however steeped in pagan elements, the Fathers did not close in on themselves,
nor on the other hand did they give way to compromise with some ideas contrary
to the faith . Instead they were able to recognize and assimilate the higher
concepts and transform them by the light of the Word of God. "
"
Even amid the opportunities and dangers of the network, we must " examine
everything " , knowing that surely we will find false riches, illusions
and dangerous traps to be avoided. But , guided by the Holy Spirit , we will
discover valuable opportunities to lead people to the bright face of the Lord. "
"Among
the possibilities offered by digital communication, the most important is the
proclamation of the Gospel. Certainly, it is not technological skills, though
important, are not enough. Instead we must primarily encounter real women and
men, often injured or lost, offer them real reasons for
hope. Proclamation requires direct and authentic human relationships to result
in a personal encounter with the Lord. Therefore internet is not enough, technology
is not enough. This however does not mean that the Church's presence in the
network is useless, on the contrary,
it is essential to be present, always with evangelical style, in what for many
, especially young people, has become a kind of living environment, to awaken in
the heart the irrepressible questions about the meaning of our existence, and
show the way that leads to He who is the answer, Divine Mercy made flesh ,
the Lord Jesus. "