Media reporting on church and papal statements usually highlights any critique they make of contemporary mores. So when the Pope speaks on social media the casual reader might expect to hear the musings of an old man out of touch and out of sympathy with modern technology. If so, Pope Benedict's recent statement for World Media Day may come as a surprise.
His treatment is surprisingly positive: he pays little attention to risks, focusing on possibilities. He stresses the capacity of social media to connect people affectively, to communicate information, to enable planning, and above all to encourage people to reflect on what matters deeply to them.
The focus on truth and love, of course, is the Pope's constant theme and the main business of churches. Given his recognition that social media are not simply a technological aid but are changing the way in which human beings communicate, the Church has a necessary interest in them.
With that high view of the possibilities of social media, Benedict points out that social media can encourage superficiality rather than depth. People are more often influenced by celebrity and emotion than by reasoned argument. As a result their engagement with social media fails to touch their deepest hopes and desires.
That leads him to ask what kind of communication does touch the deeper questions of human existence. He explains that it must be authentic, touching both heart and minds. Authenticity depends on being able to enter into dialogue, responding to questions and taking seriously the convictions and discoveries of others.
For Christians, the answers to questions about life, truth and meaning are sought in their faith in Jesus Christ. To communicate faith on the web requires deeply grounded faith, an instinctive understanding of the medium, and discernment in how to speak and be silent.
The Pope also describes some specific benefits of social media for Christians. They provide a network of support for Christians who feel isolated by an indifferent or actively hostile culture. They can also enable people to move beyond the community they build on the web to make direct connections, both personally and through events. He may have World Youth Day in mind.
The tone of Benedict's message is consistently encouraging. He does not