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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Church in every age continues the work begun on the day of Pentecost,
when the Apostles, in the power of the Holy Spirit, went forth into the
streets of Jerusalem to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many tongues
(cf. Acts 2:5-11). Through the succeeding centuries, this evangelising
mission spread to the far corners of the earth, as Christianity took root in
many places and learned to speak the diverse languages of the world, always
in obedience to Christ's command to preach the Gospel to every nation (cf.
Mt 28:19-20).
However, the history of evangelisation is not just a matter of geographic
expansion, for the Church has also had to cross many cultural thresholds,
each of which called for fresh energy and imagination in proclaiming the one
Gospel of Jesus Christ. The age of the great discoveries, the Renaissance
and the invention of printing, the Industrial Revolution and the birth of
the modern world: these, too, were threshold moments that demanded new forms
of evangelisation. Now, with the communications and information revolution
in full swing, the Church stands unmistakably at another decisive gateway.
It is fitting, therefore, that on this World Communications Day 2002 we
should reflect on the subject: "Internet: A New Forum for Proclaiming the
Gospel."
The Internet is certainly a new "forum" understood in the ancient Roman
sense of that public space where politics and business were transacted,
where religious duties were fulfilled, where much of the social life of the
city took place, and where the best and the worst of human nature was on
display. lt was a crowded and bustling urban space, which both reflected the
surrounding culture and created a culture of its own. This is no less true
of cyberspace, which is as it were a new frontier opening up at the
beginning of this new millennium. Like the new frontiers of other times,
this one, too, is full of the interplay of danger and promise, and not
without the sense of adventure, which marked other great periods of change.
For the Church the new world of cyberspace is a summons to the great
adventure of using its potential to proclaim the Gospel message. This
challenge is at the heart of what it means at the beginning of the
millennium to follow the Lord's command to "put out into the deep": Duc in
altum! (Lk 5:4).
The Church approaches this new medium with realism and confidence. Like
other communications media, it is a means, not an end in itself. The
Internet can offer magnificent opportunities for evangelisation, if used
with competence and a clear awareness of its strengths and weaknesses. Above
all, by providing information and stirring interest, it makes possible an
initial encounter with the Christian message, especially among the young who
increasingly turn to the world of cyberspace as a window on the world. It is
important, therefore, that the Christian community think of very practical
ways of helping those who first make contact through the Internet, to move
from the virtual world of cyberspace to the real world of Christian
community.
At a subsequent stage, the Internet can also provide the kind of follow-up
that evangelisation requires. Especially in an unsupportive culture,
Christian living calls for continuing instruction and catechesis, and this
is perhaps the area in which the Internet can provide excellent help. There
already exist on the Net countless sources of information, documentation,
and education about the Church, her history and tradition, her doctrine and
her engagement in every field in all parts of the world. It is clear, then,
that while the Internet can never replace that profound experience of God
which only the living, liturgical, and sacramental life of the Church can
offer, it can certainly provide a unique supplement and support in both
preparing for the encounter with Christ in community, and sustaining the new
believer in the journey of faith which then begins.
There are nevertheless certain necessary, even obvious, questions that arise
in using the Internet in the cause of evangelisation. The essence of the
Internet, in fact, is that it provides an almost unending flood of
information, much of which passes in a moment. In a culture that feeds on
the ephemeral there can easily be a risk of believing that it is facts that
matter, rather than values. The Internet offers extensive knowledge, but it
does not teach values; and when values are disregarded, our very humanity is
demeaned and man easily loses sight of his transcendent dignity. Despite its
enormous potential for good, some of the degrading and damaging ways in
which the Internet can be used are already obvious to all, and public
authorities surely have a responsibility to guarantee that this marvellous
instrument serves the common good and does not become a source of harm.
Furthermore, the Internet radically redefines a person's psychological
relationship to time and space. Attention is riveted on what is tangible,
useful, and instantly available; the stimulus for deeper thought and
reflection may be lacking. Yet human beings have a vital need for time and
inner quiet to ponder and examine life and its mysteries, and to grow
gradually into a mature dominion of themselves and of the world around them.
Understanding and wisdom are the fruit of a contemplative eye upon the
world, and do not come from a mere accumulation of facts, no matter how
interesting. They are the result of an insight, which penetrates the deeper
meaning of things in relation to one another and to the whole of reality.
Moreover, as a forum in which practically everything is acceptable and
almost nothing is lasting, the Internet favours a relativistic way of
thinking and sometimes feeds the flight from personal responsibility and
commitment.
In such a context, how are we to cultivate that wisdom which comes not just
from information but from insight, the wisdom that understands the
difference between right and wrong, and sustains the scale of values that
flows from that difference?
The fact that through the Internet people multiply their contacts in ways
hitherto unthinkable opens up wonderful possibilities for spreading the
Gospel. However, it is also true that electronically mediated relationships
can never take the place of the direct human contact required for genuine
evangelisation. For evangelisation always depends upon the personal witness
of the one sent to evangelise (cf. Rom 10:14-15). How does the Church lead
from the kind of contact made possible by the Internet to the deeper
communication demanded by Christian proclamation? How do we build upon the
first contact and exchange of information, which the Internet makes
possible?
There is no doubt that the electronic revolution holds out the promise of
great positive breakthroughs for the developing world; but there is also the
possibility that it will in fact aggravate existing inequalities as the
information and communications gap widens. How can we ensure that the
information and communications revolution, which has the Internet as its
prime engine, will work in favour of the globalisation of human development
and solidarity, objectives closely linked to the Church's evangelising
mission?
Finally, in these troubled times, let me ask: how can we ensure that this
wondrous instrument first conceived in the context of military operations
can now serve the cause of peace? Can it favour that culture of dialogue,
participation, solidarity and reconciliation without which peace cannot
flourish? The Church believes it can; and to ensure that this is what will
happen, she is determined to enter this new forum, armed with the Gospel of
Christ, the Prince of Peace.
The Internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer
monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the
face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard? For it is only when
his face is seen and his voice heard that the world will know the glad
tidings of our redemption. This is the purpose of evangelisation. And this
is what will make the Internet a genuinely human space, for if there is no
room for Christ; there is no room for man. Therefore, on this World
Communications Day, I dare to summon the whole Church bravely to cross this
new threshold, to put out into the deep of the Net, so that now as in the
past the great engagement of the Gospel and culture may show to the world
"the glory of God on the face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6). May the Lord bless all
those who work for this aim.
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