The two faces of Internet

The assembly of the European Episcopal Commission for the Media (EECM) was held in the Vatican from 12 to 15 November on “The Internet culture and communication of the Church. SIR Europe gathered some comments on the meeting from various representatives of the Bishops’ Conferences of the continent.Italy. “At a time when great ferment is being registered around the Internet”, the Church is asking itself questions about whether and how this new means of communication can promote real human and spiritual growth”, observes Monsignor Claudio Giuliodori, who chairs the Commission for Social Communications of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. “A substantial consensus is emerging in recognizing that the web offers extraordinary possibilities of knowledge and exchange – he points out -, but at the same time aspects open to criticism are not lacking, especially in relation to the virtual nature of the relations created online. So questions of substance are posed about the real capacity of Internet to express and transmit the human in its entirety and authenticity”. From this point of view, the phenomenon of the web “should not be overvalued and the Internet must always be considered in relation to what it can contribute, in real terms, to make human relations more authentic”. “The reflection that Benedict XVI developed in his encyclical ‘Caritas in veritate’ on the role of the media also holds good for the web. To serve the real good of humanity, the means of communication – said the Pope – “need to focus on promoting the dignity of persons and peoples; they need to be clearly inspired by charity and placed at the service of truth, of the good, and of natural and supernatural fraternity” (no. 73). Internet, concludes Mgr. Giuliodori, may thus “contribute in a significant way to foster solidarity and development but only if we able to seek, respect and promote the truth in it”.Albania. A “very positive and extremely important meeting”, says Bishop Lucjan Avgustini, chairman of the Commission for Social Communications of the Albanian Bishops’ Conference, commenting on the EECM meeting that has just ended. In Mgr. Avgustini’s view, “it’s very important the European bishops reflect on this new culture that is rapidly expanding, and that they find ways of using it their mission of spreading the Good News and fostering the social teaching of the Church”. The bishop also remarks on the relation between the Albanian Church and the new technologies. “The Church in Albania, after the difficulties of the past, is a poor community. In the field of digital technology, in particular, we have not yet reached the level of other European Churches”. Nonetheless “it is the desire of the Albanian Bishops’ Conference to promote these new technologies at the service of the Gospel. Undoubtedly the economic situation of the local Church is a major obstacle to us. But some steps have already been taken: most recently, the decision of the Albanian bishops to have their own press office and spokesman”. In planning this office, concludes the bishop, “there’s also the chance to create an official website for the Bishops’ Conference, on which to regularly publish news about the activities of the Catholic Church in Albania and create online contacts with our fellow-Catholics and with others”.Slovenia. “We find ourselves faced by a completely new challenge, but one that is fascinating and a source of great impetus: the Church in the web and for the web”, says Andrej Saje, spokesman of the Slovene Bishops’ Conference. “For effective communication with modern man, the Church must be humble and bold. She must be open to dialogue. We cannot sit around waiting for the young to approach the Church; it’s the Church that must change her language” because very often “the contents she offers to the youth are unappealing” and, what is more, “expressed in an obsolete language”. According to Saje “the first results of any project of media activity can be obtained by analyzing the expectations of Internet users”. While it’s not the “task of the bishops or priests to be experts in the new technologies of communication, we as Church and as community are called to support the initiatives and timid efforts of those who are bringing the Gospel online”. “The new prospects offered by the web are also an educational challenge” and if “the Internet cannot, nor should not substitute the live meeting”, he concludes, it can prepare, deepen and enrich it”. Spain. The EECM, maintains José Maria Gil Tamayo, secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Commission for the means of social communication and member of the EECM, “has the chance to promote an interchange of the experiences and initiatives that exist in the various European countries so that they may serve other episcopates,” and so as to “pool efforts and initiatives in this field, taking into account the diversity and richness of each country”. This is a service that “cannot merely be one of guidance, but must also offer aid, especially in the educational field and in the social communications of countries with lesser economic resources”. For the future, Tamayo proposes to study “the various treatment of religious faith in the European media today, since in some spheres the role of religion is being relegated to the private sphere, thus denying to the Church any presence in public life, and the means of communication are a paradigm of this”.