Before I move on with this post, let me give you some background info.  Before I decided to follow my passion of social media development as a small business owner, I studied Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.  This was a hobby while I worked as a project manager for different organizations including Columbia University, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation & the United Nations.  There I had the opportunity to meet not only great theologians but also a large group of very passionate individuals who dedicate their entire lives to SERVICE.  During the last year, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with different religious organizations with their use of social media.  It’s been like merging two passions together.

Today is the 44th World Day of Communications and Pope Benedict’s message has left me totally impressed.  I encourage each one of you to read the entire message but here are the parts that caught my attention:

He stresses the title of the conference “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word” and goes on with the explanation: Church communities have always used the modern media for fostering communication, engagement with society, and, increasingly, for encouraging dialogue at a wider level.

I always say that if St. Paul lived today we would have “The Tweets of the Apostles” and the “Blog of St. Paul to the Romans”…. We all know that he is considered to be the best communicator and community builder of all times.  I can go on and on with my personal opinion, but there will always be time for this.  Let’s keep the focus on his message by breaking it down:

Church communities: Community building is the key of social media. The church too operates in a sub-community format.  You have the different movements, religious groups, orders, lay assemblies and so forth.  They all identify strongly with their peers but at the same time, they are well aware that they belong to a greater community.  A universal church that goes beyond geographical or time borders.  The communion of saints.

Fostering Communication: From the origins of the church, we have witness this open communication.  The mere fact that you don’t have 1 single Gosple but instead you have three versions “according to”…. Mark, Luke, John (without taking into consideration all the apocryphes which are widely available to the public too).  Then we have the apostle’s letters, all the theological arguments which still today I find them fascinating.  The transparency of this communication is key to the implementation of new media.

Engagement with society: Does it sound familiar? joining the conversation. This doesn’t mean preaching but coming one to one with the actors.  Engaging in the community, being one of us.

and, increasingly, for encouraging dialogue at a wider level: This is Pope’s Benedict’s elegant way of  saying – “Create a buzz” – “Influence your audience” – with the millions and millions of Catholic communities out there, if we were to really take this message seriously, the new Roman Empire will need to start shaking.

The recent, explosive growth and greater social impact of these
media make them all the more important for a fruitful priestly
ministry.

Just like I encourage business owners and consultants to jump into social media NOW.  I would like to join Pope Benedict and encourage the pastors of the church to join, to learn, to minister through social media NOW.  Don’t be afraid.  You’ll figure the how and the where as you move into the space.  But in the meantime, just get started.

The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts

This is a call to learn and master the social media tools.  Only if we are able to manage the tools we are able to manage the conversation.  Otherwise we risk that others will manage our conversation, our brand, our message, our service, our gospel.  The church has been the leader of literature, printing & communication.  We need social media leaders.  Not so much from a technical aspect (which wouldn’t hurt either), but from an interpersonal aspect.

Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the World

The media at the service of the world.  This is a great opportunity to reduce the digital divide. Imagine if Catholic movements and missions were to take this priority? access to information to create deeper forms of relationships taking into consideration every level of the human community (spiritual & socio-economical).  This would be the revolution we’ve all been waiting for.

Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis

When I read this, I laugh. Those of you who know Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict (I had the honor of going to his daily masses when I volunteered with the Sisters of Mother Theresa right under his home for many years and to attend some of his workshops), you know that he isn’t a poet.  Like always, the Pope gives clear directions.  Just in case someone interprets this message with “spending the whole day on Twitter or Facebook” he avoids this misunderstanding by giving the concrete message, the means and the different alternatives.  For the business owners that are reading this post, this is a perfect example of how to provide clear directions to your team.

I renew the invitation to make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern
communications. May the Lord make all of you enthusiastic heralds of the Gospel in the new “agorà” which the current media are opening up.

My favorite part and title of this post.  Pope Benedict calls social media the new “Agorà” – Here is the definition I found at the Antioch and I’ve highlighted in bold all the parts that are related with the different categories of this blog:

Definition of agora

Primarily “an assembly,” or, in general, “an open space in a town” (akin to ageiro, “to bring together“), became applied, according to papyri evidences, to a variety of things, e.g., “a judicial assembly,” “a market,” or even “supplies, provisions” (Moulton and Milligan, Vocab.).

In the New Testament, it denotes “a place of assembly, a public place or forum, a market-place.” A variety of circumstances, connected with it as a public gathering place, is mentioned, e.g., business dealings such as the hiring of laborers, Matt 20:3; the buying and selling of goods, Mark 7:4 (involving risk of pollution); the games of children, Matt 11:16; Luke 7:32; exchange of greetings, Matt 23:7; Mark 12:38; Luke 11:43; Luke 20:46; the holding of trials, Acts 16:19; public discussions, Acts 17:17. Mark 6:56 records the bringing of the sick there. The word always carries with it the idea of publicity, in contrast to private circumstances.

There is no doubt in me that Social Media is in fact the new Agora and that Pope Benedict totally gets it.