Pope Hopes Social Media Can Help Spread the Word
Forget about speeches in front of thousands of people in Vatican City. The Pope is pushing the good word through social media, calling on his flock to spread faith to non-believers through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social networking sites.
During the 47th World Communications Day, the Pope wrote:
"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."
Like Fortune 500 companies, Pope Benefict XIV is trying to harness the reach of social networks to try and increase his following (see what I did there?).
The address, titled, "Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization," was a way for his Holiness to "reinforce the bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the human family."
Will it work? Who knows. People are impressionable and we often, as consumers, look to the web to help us with decisions.
So instead of praying for that lottery winner, maybe head to Twitter for some inspired good luck.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking on Catholics and religion (as I am one, maybe not a practicing one), but you have to give it up to the Pope and his crack team of social media strategists.
Their approach should reach a younger demographic, which has been the knock about Church attendance for years now. The flock is getting older. Churches are closing. People aren't attending as they once used to.
Are Churches going the way of newspapers? They may not physically exist anymore, but we can sure still "read" them online.
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