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                               VIS-Press releases

CATHOLIC MEDIA WORKERS: LIVE IN CONFORMITY TO THE GOSPEL

VATICAN CITY, 24 JAN 2011 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office,
the Message for the forty-fifth World Day of Social Communications was
presented. Its theme this year is: "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of
Life in the Digital Age".

Participating in today's press conference were Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli,
Msgr. Paul Tighe, Msgr. Giuseppe Antonio Scotti and Angelo Scelzo, respectively
president, secretary, adjunct secretary and under secretary of the Pontifical
Council for Social Communications.

Archbishop Celli affirmed that "this year's Message has its starting point in a
reality that is becoming increasingly evident today: the fact that an authentic
cultural transformation is taking place as new technologies alter not only the
way we communicate, but communication itself".

"The new technologies", he continued, "offer mankind great
opportunities to
come together, overcoming the limitations of distance and of culture of origin.
They create the possibility to form new friendships, despite the inevitable
risks".

"The new relational opportunities offered by modern technology highlight how
today it is possible not only to exchange information, but to share a world
view, to share hopes and ideals", the archbishop said.

"The Pope links three human aspects which are very important in modern life:
digital communications, image of self and coherence of life. Communicational
dynamics in the digital world create new ways to construct personal identity,
and its is here that the Holy Father makes a call for coherence and
authenticity".

The Message, Archbishop Celli concluded, "speaks of a 'Christian way' of being
present" in the digital world. "This is what makes the title of the Message
meaningful, in the sense that the Christian testimony of Catholic professionals
cannot be limited to simply dealing with religious topics, but is called to
reveal itself in the form of concrete personal witness. Living a life that
conforms to the Gospel is itself a form of proclamation, an explicit form of
communication which makes the proclamation credible. More than ever, the
requirement of making the Gospel known in all its integrity must become a
distinctive sign of the digital age".
OP/VIS 20110124 (360)

SUMMARY

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