England, Italy

England: greater communication”I think that social networks are important tools for relating to the youth, although dangers do exist. In fact, these websites aren’t monitored and are poorly controlled. Since young people use them constantly, we must be present, and employ them in the most appropriate way. Some say the youth have forgotten all about the art of conversation because of electronic communication media. Indeed, in his message His Holiness warns that these websites risk replacing real life relations. When I asked young people how much of their conversations took place person to person they replied: at least a third of all conversations”. Interviewed by SIR Europe, Msgr. Kieran Conry, in charge of Catechesis, Evangelization and Pastoral Care of the Youth for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, conveyed his appreciation for the possibilities offered by social networks in reaching out to the young generations. In his capacities at the lead of the diocese of Arundel and Brighton, Msgr. Conry involves many young people with his activity: “We seek to give them a primary role. Remarkably, as many as 120 young people will join us for the next World Youth Day in Madrid. We also coordinate a very popular pilgrimage to Lourdes. Young volunteers arrive first, in order to welcome the sick and help them during their stay. There’s a waiting list for the “Redshirts”, the youth taking part in the pilgrimage”. According to Msgr. Conry, “Today the youth communicate more than they did in the past”. “They even speak with three people at once”. “When they’re together they talk constantly, and when they’re not together, they communicate in other ways. Their communication level is much higher compared to ours at their age. They talk as much as we do, but in addition they communicate via the Internet. Their network is broader and their friendships stronger”.Italy: not knowing where to go”Let’s join our forces, let’s meet more often to take stock and examine the situation with a joint effort”. It is the invitation launched by Fr. Davide Milani, responsible of the Social Communications Office of the diocese of Milan, during the annual Youth Pastoral Care Meeting titled: “Youth and relationships in the digital Continent” (Milan, February 26). “It’s important to jointly develop an educational reflection, a moral conscience on the ways enabling us to participate in the digital continent”, the priest said. The statement is the point of arrival of a conference that was also an experience 2.0. In fact, it was broadcast live on the portal of the diocese of Milan (www.chiesadimilano.it). The youth linked through a Facebook page posted their questions. The questions were addressed and further developed by the editor in chief of the national daily “Il Sole 24 ore”, Gianni Riotta. “On the web we aren’t young or old. Online we’re all young internauts, unaware of the evolution of communication. Facebook emerged all of a sudden two years ago, so did Twitter, while tablets are just a year old. The novelty thus lies in the rapid development of communicative media”, he said. In his reflection Riotta concludes that the impact of the web on society “is remarkably positive” as it broadened the communication potential along with the possibility of listening to various voices. It also completed and advanced our nervous systems, enabling us to be exposed to different viewpoints”. Notably, “during the ongoing Arab protests, it was possible of know the views of people that are miles apart from one another”. Msgr. Severino Pagani, Episcopal vicar for the Pastoral Care of the young at the diocese of Milan, said the family is “the most hard to identify”, since “the life experience of the youth is no longer attached to the family environment.” For this reason, Msgr. Pagani invited the young generation that risks remaining unfulfilled, “to transform virtual revolutions into real ones, while educators are tasked with transforming curiosity news into responsibility news”. Chiara Giaccardi, Professor of Communication at the Catholic University of Milan, highlighted that “the new media could represent an opportunity for co-education, since information is spread, but we don’t know where, while adults have the knowledge but not the practice”. Giaccardi mentioned his research conducted during the CEI meeting “Digital Witnesses” (Rome, April 22/24 2010) and called upon educators “to meet the youth in the realm they are most familiar with, not acting as authorities but rather adopting the appropriate authoritativeness”.