Catholic Church

As is the tradition on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, the Holy Father has released his message for the upcoming 45th World Communications Day. Titled "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age", Pope Benedict XVI's message this year is encouraging the correctly ordered use of the online social media, to cultivate genuine human relationships in which information and ideas leading us to truth may be widely shared.

And the list of high profile websites built on Drupal continues to grow. The latest entry is the South African Government's new official 2010 FIFA World Cup website. One can only imagine the amount of traffic that site will be handling.

On a related note, the Catholic Church in South Africa is celebrating the 2010 World Cup with a new media campaign called Church on the Ball.  Both site are worth checking out.

Please join us in reflecting on the great blessing of Pope Benedict XVI, and thanking God for his papacy. To read Pope Benedict XVI's encyclicals and more, click on this link to the Holy Father.  For a suscinct recap Pope Benedict's first five years, check out this Rome Reports video.

Today I was excited to read about a new iPhone application being launched by the Vatican. My excitement was quickly dampened as I found yet another "journalist" looking for an excuse to tear into the Church anew. The Article I'm referring to,The Vatican’s iPhone app: ‘Daily Sermonettes’, was posted on the The Globe and Mail website. Though the headline indicates a straightforward review of the new app, the article is anything but that. Needless to say, I was disappointed. But, so I don't leave you similarly disappointed, here's a brief on the application from Wordnet Productions:

As with any brand, the identity of the Catholic Church matters. It matters because it informs. It conveys vital information about what the Catholic Church is, what it stands for, and why it is relevant. Unfortunately, the Church's identity has suffered much over the last half century. It has been diminished by relentless secular media attacks, muddied by internal dissent and division, and severely damaged by scandal. These problems continue today. The recent healthcare debate in Washington has effectively underscored the depth of the Church's identity problem.

I came across this article in Glorify God titled "Did the concept of “Social Media” originate in the Catholic Church?". It intrigued me, since I don't really think of the Church as an innovator. Perhaps this is because I work everyday at getting Catholic institutions and organizations up to speed in the realm of digital communications.

Pope Benedict XVI urges priests to employ new digital communications media in exercising their pastoral ministry. Read the Pope's 44th World Communications Day Message