Vatican Says Catholic Presence Online is Essential

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, recently emphasized that the presence of Catholics on the internet is essential to the "new evangelization." In fact, he added, during 2009, roughly 440 million Catholics went online.

Archbishop Celli spoke in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the pastoral instruction on social communications, “Communio et progressio.”

Archbishop Celli noted that society has passed from the “era of information” to an “era of conversation,” in which the content is itself the object of dialogue.

Speaking about social media, the archbishop added, “Language, understanding of communities,
and visibility are the great challenges facing those who want to be present on the new digital
continent.” He said Catholics must meet the challenge of stepping into this “courtyard of the
gentiles,” where God is unknown to many.

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