As we begin the Christmas Novena that ushers in our celebration of the Nativity of Lord and then begin counting the days until the New Year begins, we look back to a year of surprises in our Church. On February 28, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI resigned. On March 19, the Jesuit Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio, who chose the name Pope Francis was installed. From his first public moment on the balcony,…
Category: Pope Francis
45 Posts
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Pope Francis Defines a New Phase of Evangelization
In his recently published Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis reflects on the work of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which took place October 7-28, 2012, and expresses his own “concerns about this particular chapter of the Church’s work of evangelization.” (#16)
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Pope Francis, the Secular Media and Social Media
Pope Francis has been Pope since March 19, 2013, and already has captured the attention of the secular media big time. He is often in the national news. Reporters cannot get enough of him. Sometimes, their interpretation of what he says can be slightly off, but in the video below, Lino Rulli, host of “The Catholic Guy” heard across North America on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, explains why he thinks that…
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Pastors Discuss the New Evangelization and Web Presence
Last week I had the pleasure of facilitating a focus group set up by my pastor with five other pastors from the Diocese of Cleveland. They are committed to the New Evangelization and want to see how their parish web presence can support that mission. Each of the pastors had completed a survey that I had sent ahead of time. They represented suburban parishes of 1800 to more than 3000…
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The Vatican’s Social Media Intiatives, Insights and Reflections
Monsignor Paul Tighe, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, was the keynote speaker at the Catholic New Media Conference in Boston on October 19, 2013. Since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, Monsignor Tighe has been involved in all the major new media initiatives of the Vatican. His presentation was excellent and you can view it below. Please share your thoughts in the comments. Feel…
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Challenges Confronting Our Engagement with the Digital World
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications released a statement on September 30 that Pope Francis has chosen the theme of “encounter” for his first World Communications Day message. According to the council statement, The Message for World Communications Day 2014 will explore the potential of communication, especially in a networked and connected world, to bring people closer to each other and to co-operate in the task of building a more…