Today’s public square

by Editor · August 28, 2013

In ancient times public exchange of information and discourse would take place in communal areas: the market square, the university and other places of assembly. The Greeks called these places of meeting minds the agora, which literally means �gathering place�.

Ancient Agora in Athens. (Wikimedia)

As Pope Benedict XVI rightly pointed out in this year�s message for World Communications Day � which on September 1 is observed as Social Communications Sunday in Southern Africa � the network of social media is an agora of our age.

For Pope Benedict, the various social media � Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, interactive websites, discussion forums and so on � are not inconsequential pursuits, even as trivial diversion forms a significant part of the experience, but are an integral element of modern life.

�The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people,� he wrote.

For the Church it is important to be where the people are, especially those who need to hear the Gospel message, or to be nourished by it. The Internet, in its many manifestations, has increasingly become a mission field, in particular social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

It certainly is not a waste of a priest�s time to be on social networks. Indeed, by being a regular participant on sites such as Facebook, a priest can be available to many more people at once than is possible in the �real world�.

More than that, by being visible, a priest has the option to pass on the Good News even to people who otherwise might be indifferent or even closed to it.

But, as Pope Benedict points out, those who work it must know their mission field.

�Social networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there.�

Catholics are called to evangelise, and one of the most effective ways of evangelisation is by peers.

Pope Benedict�s advice on fruitful conduct on the social networks is aimed at all users, but might have special application for young Catholics.

�In social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God revealed in Christ Jesus.

�This sharing consists not only in the explicit expression of their faith, but also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate choices, preferences and judgments that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically,� Pope Benedict wrote.

�A particularly significant way of offering such witness will be through a willingness to give oneself to others by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence.�

Pope Francis has made it a point to amplify both of these elements: to share the joy of our faith by our witness, and to engage those with whom we disagree � be they atheists, other believers or fellow Catholics � not with hostility and anger, but with respect and patience.

In other words, on the Internet, as elsewhere, Catholics are asked to project a positive image of the Church and the faith she teaches, and not to bring the Church into disrepute by behaviour that conveys anger, arrogance and hardness of heart.

At the same time, Catholics must beware of sentiments on these networks that are incompatible with the Catholic faith, or hostile to it.

Because social networks such as Facebook or Twitter are not forums that easily facilitate detail and nuance in discourse, it is easy to be seduced by the Internet equivalent of the soundbite.

More than that, the culture of social media elevates the primacy of unvetted opinion above fact or truth.

The effect of both can be a dumbing down of people, of social dialogue and even of the way in which the Catholic faith is communicated. We must be alert to that.

In using the social media, Catholics have a great opportunity to evangelise and be evangelised.

These opportunities must be used � but not at the cost of correct and thorough information.