Christians in social networksThe social networks, as we know them today, are more or less twenty years old, if we include the first "experiments" that did not involve a large community of users, as was the case with the appearance of Facebook, Twitter (X) and Instagram, to cite the most common ones. For about ten years now, however, reflection has begun, also in the ecclesial sphere, on the implications of these modern technologies in the lives of people in general and in the field of evangelization in particular.
To crown this journey - in which there has been no shortage of scholars, including myself, who have analyzed and deepened the phenomenon - came, on May 28, the Document "Towards a Full Presence. Pastoral reflection on engagement with social media" from the Holy See's Dicastery for Communication.
Mandate missionary
One of the areas in which questions have often been raised about the use of social networks is, for example, that of the "consecrated life", in particular how they should be used by those who respond fundamentally to a "program of life" marked more by the spiritual aspect than by public representation. However, Jesus said to every baptized person: "Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature". Consecrated persons, especially those living in religious communities with their own rhythms and "priorities", are certainly not exempt from this evangelizing call - through all available means. But how can we "productively" integrate these two demands?
Training sessions explaining the importance of "inhabiting these places" of the global village, not only from the point of view of the medium but also of the content, try to respond to this demand, albeit often extemporaneously and linked to the goodwill of superiors or those who first "see" the opportunity. In short, of the need to give meaning even to platforms on which millions of people spend almost a third of their day (about 7 hours). Clearly, several questions remain on the table.
Different questions
For example, someone raises the question: in cases of communities where the approval of a superior is required for a consecrated person to have a public presence on the network for evangelizing purposes, and this person probably does not have the appropriate skills to understand its usefulness and appropriateness, how does one proceed?
Such a situation should probably entail a prior solution. That is to say, the way of relating to the "newness" of evangelization through the social media, and in any case using the technical innovations today within everyone's reach, should be understood in the first place as a call to community reflection that the religious order should make as a whole, starting from the top. If we do not first ask ourselves what "we want to be" as a community of consecrated life projected into the mission to which the Lord calls us today, it will always be difficult to identify concrete ways that do not seem "exceptional" - as a brother or sister who is very active on social networks might seem to be - to carry out this call. First the "who" and then the "how".
Some have gone so far as to propose a sort of "code of conduct" that cuts across the various religious orders, even though each has its own operating statutes.
Discretion required
On this point, fundamentally, in the use of the means of communication, the consecrated person must adhere to canon 666 of the Code of Canon Law, which prescribes "the necessary discretion", avoiding "everything that harms one's vocation and endangers the chastity of the consecrated person". These are categories that today may seem almost anachronistic, but if we think about it, they essentially refer to a "maturity" that the consecrated person is supposed to already possess.
Here is the question: rather than instituting detailed norms of behavior, without prejudice to one's state of life and the "maturity" with which individual evangelization activities must be faced, priority must be given to an adequate integral formation, which also enables one to make a conscious and spiritually oriented discernment in every circumstance.
Another element often mentioned in connection with the use of social networks is that of the risks, linked above all to an incorrect use of the medium by the consecrated person, which can inevitably give a bad image of the whole Community to which he or she belongs. If we think about it, one of the distinctive features of the evangelizing mission in the midst of the world is witness. Whoever wants to bear witness to Christ must "prove" that he has encountered him, must show in a non-apodictic way that he truly believes in what he says and be the first to do what he proposes to do to others.
Know the risks in order to avoid them
All this is also true for social networks, it is clearly "seen" through our publications, our comments, our expressions and, often, indignations. It is all material that communicates something about ourselves, putting our credibility at stake. Since "the virtual does not exist", all our public statements contribute to the success - or failure - of our mission ad gentes. Thus, the risks that apply to a consecrated man or woman are the same as those that apply to any user authorized to use social networks. The important thing is to know them, study them and try not to improvise.
Ongoing training
The last aspect to consider concerns the importance of training done right, as already mentioned. We should not think that training in this field should only be related to the tool. It is necessary to be trained in the culture of communication, and to open oneself to a horizon of complexity of the social communicative phenomenon that encompasses several disciplines at the same time.
A presence in the social media is fundamental, but it is even more important to have above all a content to transmit, after a great exercise of introspection on who we want to be. For this reason, initiatives of ongoing and interdisciplinary formation that address all aspects of the presence of the consecrated person in the midst of the world, the place par excellence of his mission, are welcome.
