梵蒂冈城（亚洲新闻）-基督徒不能回避数码世界，特别是社交网络、数码网络社会（推特等......）。这是教宗本笃十六世在第四十七届世界社会传播日文告中向基督徒发出的邀请。今天，圣座新闻发布中心发表五月十二日举行的世界社会传播日文告，题目是《社交网络：真理与信仰之门、福传的新空间》。对这一新时代的传播方式作出了积极的评价。

       教宗指新的社交网络是正在崛起新的传教领域、"新的公共广场"；人们在这里分享观念、信息、意见。

       而基督信徒在数码世界的任务具有传教的紧迫性，"使无穷尽的福音财富找到能够深入所有人心的表达方式"。同时，教宗也警告了网络潜在的危险。

教宗告诫信众在分享信仰时也应该保持真实性，"不仅是明确地表达信仰，也包括在见证中"。而社交网络不仅是福传工具，"也可以促进人文发展、支持那些被隔离和迫害的人"。

最后，本笃十六世呼吁网络的朋友们不应忽视直接交流的重要性。"当我们面对他人时，从某种方式而言，我们蒙召让天涯海角的人认识天主之爱"。

       教宗本笃十六世第四十七届世界社会传播日文告《社交网络：真理与信仰之门、福传的新空间》全文英文版如下：

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE 47th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

 "Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization."

[Sunday, 12 May 2013]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As the 2013 World Communications Day draws near, I would like to offer you some reflections on an increasingly important reality regarding the way in which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the development of digital social networks which are helping to create a new "agora", an open public square in which people share ideas, information and opinions, and in which new relationships and forms of community can come into being.

These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help to foster forms of dialogue and debate which, if conducted respectfully and with concern for privacy, responsibility and truthfulness, can reinforce the bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the human family. The exchange of information can become true communication, links ripen into friendships, and connections facilitate communion. If the networks are called to realize this great potential, the people involved in them must make an effort to be authentic since, in these spaces, it is not only ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately our very selves.

The development of social networks calls for commitment: people are engaged in building relationships and making friends, in looking for answers to their questions and being entertained, but also in finding intellectual stimulation and sharing knowledge and know-how. The networks are increasingly becoming part of the very fabric of society, inasmuch as they bring people together on the basis of these fundamental needs. Social networks are thus nourished by aspirations rooted in the human heart.

The culture of social networks and the changes in the means and styles of communication pose demanding challenges to those who want to speak about truth and values. Often, as is also the case with other means of social communication, the significance and effectiveness of the various forms of expression appear to be determined more by their popularity than by their intrinsic importance and value. Popularity, for its part, is often linked to celebrity or to strategies of persuasion rather than to the logic of argumentation. At times the gentle voice of reason can be overwhelmed by the din of excessive information and it fails to attract attention which is given instead to those who express themselves in a more persuasive manner. The social media thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation; of people who strive to cultivate forms of discourse and expression which appeal to the noblest aspirations of those engaged in the communication process. Dialogue and debate can also flourish and grow when we converse with and take seriously people whose ideas are different from our own. "Given the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful" (Address at the Meeting with the World of Culture, Bélem, Lisbon, 12 May 2010).

The challenge facing social networks is how to be truly inclusive: thus they will benefit from the full participation of believers who desire to share the message of Jesus and the values of human dignity which his teaching promotes. Believers are increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this existential space is important. The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young. Social networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there.

The ability to employ the new languages is required, not just to keep up with the times, but precisely in order to enable the infinite richness of the Gospel to find forms of expression capable of reaching the minds and hearts of all. In the digital environment the written word is often accompanied by images and sounds. Effective communication, as in the parables of Jesus, must involve the imagination and the affectivity of those we wish to invite to an encounter with the mystery of God's love. Besides, we know that Christian tradition has always been rich in signs and symbols: I think for example of the Cross, icons, images of the Virgin Mary, Christmas cribs, stained-glass windows and pictures in our churches. A significant part of mankind's artistic heritage has been created by artists and musicians who sought to express the truths of the faith.

In social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God revealed in Christ Jesus. This sharing consists not only in the explicit expression of their faith, but also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate "choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically" (Message for the 2011 World Communications Day). A particularly significant way of offering such witness will be through a willingness to give oneself to others by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence. The growing dialogue in social networks about faith and belief confirms the importance and relevance of religion in public debate and in the life of society.

For those who have accepted the gift of faith with an open heart, the most radical response to mankind's questions about love, truth and the meaning of life - questions certainly not absent from social networks - are found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is natural for those who have faith to desire to share it, respectfully and tactfully, with those they meet in the digital forum. Ultimately, however, if our efforts to share the Gospel bring forth good fruit, it is always because of the power of the word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any of our own efforts. Trust in the power of God's work must always be greater than any confidence we place in human means. In the digital environment, too, where it is easy for heated and divisive voices to be raised and where sensationalism can at times prevail, we are called to attentive discernment. Let us recall in this regard that Elijah recognized the voice of God not in the great and strong wind, not in the earthquake or the fire, but in "a still, small voice" (1 Kg 19:11-12). We need to trust in the fact that the basic human desire to love and to be loved, and to find meaning and truth - a desire which God himself has placed in the heart of every man and woman - keeps our contemporaries ever open to what Blessed Cardinal Newman called the "kindly light" of faith.

Social networks, as well as being a means of evangelization, can also be a factor in human development. As an example, in some geographical and cultural contexts where Christians feel isolated, social networks can reinforce their sense of real unity with the worldwide community of believers. The networks facilitate the sharing of spiritual and liturgical resources, helping people to pray with a greater sense of closeness to those who share the same faith. An authentic and interactive engagement with the questions and the doubts of those who are distant from the faith should make us feel the need to nourish, by prayer and reflection, our faith in the presence of God as well as our practical charity: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor 13:1).

In the digital world there are social networks which offer our contemporaries opportunities for prayer, meditation and sharing the word of God. But these networks can also open the door to other dimensions of faith. Many people are actually discovering, precisely thanks to a contact initially made online, the importance of direct encounters, experiences of community and even pilgrimage, elements which are always important in the journey of faith. In our effort to make the Gospel present in the digital world, we can invite people to come together for prayer or liturgical celebrations in specific places such as churches and chapels. There should be no lack of coherence or unity in the expression of our faith and witness to the Gospel in whatever reality we are called to live, whether physical or digital. When we are present to others, in any way at all, we are called to make known the love of God to the furthest ends of the earth.

I pray that God's Spirit will accompany you and enlighten you always, and I cordially impart my blessing to all of you, that you may be true heralds and witnesses of the Gospel. "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mk 16:15).

From the Vatican, 24 January 2013, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales.

BENEDICTUS XVI

教宗在第47届世界社会传播日文告中，邀请信徒将“信仰的友好光芒”带入社交网络

（梵 蒂冈电台讯）圣座1月24日公布了教宗本笃十六世撰写的第47届世界社会传播日文告，主题为：“社交网络：真理与信仰之门；福传新空间”。教宗在文告中吁 请全体信徒致力于社交网络，强调把福音带入社交网络。教宗还指出社交网络不是一个与现实平行的世界，它可以成为福传的工具和发展人性的要素。

教 宗本笃十六世注意到是“人类内心深处的渴望”滋养了社交网络，他从这个现象出发，酝酿了他关于社交网络对基督徒重要性的思想。教宗说，社交网络的空间“如 果得到很好的重视，得以均衡利用，它可以加强人与人之间的合一关系，有效增强人类家庭的和谐气氛”。教宗告诫社交网络的用户“要努力保持真实性”，因为在 这个空间里“最终分享的内容是人类自身”。同时教宗还指出，社交网络的文化“给那些愿意谈论真理和价值观的人提出了挑战”。他也不避讳谈到“理智谨慎的声 音”有时候也“会被讯息爆炸的噪声给淹没”，近而忽视了那些“以更加理性的方式”说话的人。正因为如此，教宗邀请所有“懂得对话的价值和理性辩论的人”都 致力于社交网络。因为“当人们在谈话和认真对待那些异议人士的时候，对话和辩论会结出硕果”。

教宗的思想然后转到信徒在社交网络中努力， 并指出包容性是社交网络所要面对的挑战。教宗说，信徒们“愈加意识到”如果“在虚拟世界里”不宣讲福音，“那么福音就可能不存在于这一个为很多人来说是基 本和重要的空间”。教宗强调 “虚拟世界不是一个与现实平行的世界，或是一个纯粹的虚拟空间”，而是“许多人日常现实生活的一部分，尤其针对青年人而言”。而使用社交网不应该仅仅是 “为了打发时间，更应该是为了让福音抵达每个人的思想和内心”。因此教宗强调说，“信徒们分享他们的希望和喜悦的信德来源，凸显了”他们在社交网络中的真 实性。他们的分享应该包含福音的见证，因为是耶稣基督在回答人类最根本的问题。虚拟的世界里也是如此，“那里很容易兴起过于鲜亮和突出的声音”，有时也会 出现哗众取宠的现象，因此教宗提醒“我们要仔细识别”。

教宗继续说，基督徒应该把“信德的友好光芒”带入社交网络。社交网络“除了是福传 的工具，还是发展人性的要素”。网络“有助于灵性和礼仪资源的分享”，甚至“也可以向信仰的其它层面开启一扇门”。事实上，许多人在网络中找到了信仰、团 体或朝圣的体验。因此，让福音“临在于虚拟世界”，就可以邀请人们来到具体的地点，例如教堂来参加祈祷聚会和弥撒庆典。

教宗在第47届世界社会传播日文告的最后，劝勉信徒在物质世界和虚拟世界中表达和见证信仰“不应该缺乏一致与合一”的声音。