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The Holy Father's
letter
 A
Message from Jean-Paul II
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.
From the Vatican, January 24, 2002,
the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales
IOANNES PAULUS II
[Original text: English; distributed by Vatican Press Office]
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