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Pope Asks Priests to Blog the Word of the Lord

- By - Source : Tom's Guide US

The Pope is embracing technology and encouraging priests to blog, tweet and use social media to spread the Word.

On Saturday, the Vatican released a note from Pope Benedict XVI and the message it contained surprised many: Priests should be using all kinds of social media to spread the Word and "give soul to the fabric of communications that is the web."

"The world of digital communication, with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).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.

However, men of the cloth should not take this as permission to seek notoriety through blogging. Pope Benedict went on to stipulate, "Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ."

You can read Pope Benedict's full message here, on the Vatican Website.

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Jimmy22 01/25/2010 4:22 PM
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With almost every google search resulting in some kind of p*rn online, it will be difficult to keep ya vow of chastity, but good luck to those cyber preists!

tipoo 01/25/2010 4:34 PM
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aletoil 01/25/2010 4:38 PM
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@Jimmy22:
Can see it now. Google the word Chastity you get "Chastity Daniels in Whores 'n Habits, Priests of Priapism, and Crusade for Cunnilinigus."

Seriously though, I guess the church needs to catch on through new mediums. I stopped going long ago when I realized the atmosphere brought in hardcore hypocrites.

darkknight22 01/25/2010 4:39 PM
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....and be sure to follow God on twitter!

Mr_Man 01/25/2010 4:55 PM
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I don't know about blogging specifically, but there have been Christian resources on the Internet as long as there has been Internet.

fortmccubble 01/25/2010 4:57 PM
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The seven year war will be waged on the interwebs.

bin1127 01/25/2010 4:57 PM
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imagine what jesus could've done with twitter.

micr0be 01/25/2010 5:21 PM
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bustapr 01/25/2010 5:23 PM
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Mr_Man :
I don't know about blogging specifically, but there have been Christian resources on the Internet as long as there has been Internet.


Christian churches are more acceptive of resources and take all they can to spread the word. But ever since that adult sites have been popping up everywhere, catholic churches ( not christian) have marked the internet as the devil's work and what not.

But anyway, can anyone imagine he pope all day on facebook. LOL :)

omnimodis78 01/25/2010 5:37 PM
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Well, surely it's easier to find underage boys and girls online... The pool of choir boys and girls is getting thin.

ohim 01/25/2010 5:55 PM
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is bad enough that religion is keeping humanity since forever to evolve now they wanna take over the internet as well ... imagine the new spanish inquisition: bow to your Lord or we delete your facebook and world of worcraft accounts!

mlopinto2k1 01/25/2010 6:04 PM
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The cynicism of everyone's comments leaves little hope for humanity. Just give some thought into what we speak. There is nothing wrong with blogging spiritual words. The beauty of religion is that it lets people believe that there are better plans for them then this crap shoot we call earth which has only been getting worse. Trust me, we would be able to live without the internet as did billions of people and years before us did. With that in mind, go actually read the bible before you bash it. It has a lot of good advice in it. Even if you don't believe in god.

zak_mckraken 01/25/2010 6:06 PM
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Spread the Word! Then, spread the PDF!

micr0be 01/25/2010 6:16 PM
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socrates047 01/25/2010 6:19 PM
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Blogs are not really academia sources, thats why u need official religion sites or something to have pertinence, for any fake priest can have a blog.

Yoder54 01/25/2010 6:23 PM
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Why doesn't the Pope assume some social responsibility and have his underlings Blog important things like birth-control, population control, etc.?

blueomni 01/25/2010 6:24 PM
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mlopinto2k1 :
The cynicism of everyone's comments leaves little hope for humanity. Just give some thought into what we speak. There is nothing wrong with blogging spiritual words. The beauty of religion is that it lets people believe that there are better plans for them then this crap shoot we call earth which has only been getting worse. Trust me, we would be able to live without the internet as did billions of people and years before us did. With that in mind, go actually read the bible before you bash it. It has a lot of good advice in it. Even if you don't believe in god.




I agree with you that religion should be respected for what it is, and people shouldn't be so cynical about it. BUT I don't agree that people should be let to believe there is something better for them after they die while they sit idle and miserable about their dying world.
Instead of praying and begging, why not acting and doing something real to make the world a better place? I don't know, but I believe a simple smile can make a difference to someone who needs it, and I don't need religion to smile or help others or be more ecological.

omnimodis78 01/25/2010 6:25 PM
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mlopinto2k1 :
The cynicism of everyone's comments leaves little hope for humanity. Just give some thought into what we speak. There is nothing wrong with blogging spiritual words. The beauty of religion is that it lets people believe that there are better plans for them then this crap shoot we call earth which has only been getting worse. Trust me, we would be able to live without the internet as did billions of people and years before us did. With that in mind, go actually read the bible before you bash it. It has a lot of good advice in it. Even if you don't believe in god.


Your friends who want to spread "spiritual word" are corrupt liars who are in it for the money and getting some fresh meat from time to time. Plus, I thought the Bible is the instrument of choice.

Yoder54 01/25/2010 6:32 PM
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mlopinto2k1 :
The beauty of religion is that it lets people believe that there are better plans for them then this crap shoot we call earth which has only been getting worse.



That is a cop out. Religion is responsible for much that ails the world today. Haiti is Catholic and one can't help but blame the Church for their doubling population over a decade, their denuding of the forests, etc. Then there are those kooks overseas who use the Koran to kill innocents. Naw, religion has contributed little to the good of humanity...unless you consider the Crusades as a means of population control.

Blogging the"word" merely belittles it. Do what Jesus said...Pray in the privacy of your closet," or something like that. If religion were a private matter and remained such, then all would be well. But, when people try to convert others then we have problems...problems we could do without.

The Catholic Church needs to get with the program and cease with this "no-birth control" shit. It works fine in developed countries because we just blow them off, but in un-developed countries they are too ignorant to think for themselves and believe the teaching of some celibate old-fart who dresses funny. The church may prosper by the sayings of the Pope, but the world suffers.

mlopinto2k1 01/25/2010 6:33 PM
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omnimodis78 :
Your friends who want to spread "spiritual word" are corrupt liars who are in it for the money and getting some fresh meat from time to time. Plus, I thought the Bible is the instrument of choice.

Dude, you know what people like you need? Evidence. If you think a select handful of people who have been "corrupted" speak for MILLIONS of people who practice Christianity then you have a problem. The media is who you shouldn't believe and there is TONS and TONS of proof of that. That is the ONLY reason you know what you know in the first place. Otherwise you would be confined to what you have physically experienced unless you like to believe hear-say. It's like FOX News is your religion and your spreading the word. Yea, that's respectable.

mlopinto2k1 01/25/2010 6:38 PM
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Anyway, don't be a victim of "propaganda" and get out there and do something. See for "yourself". I am just defending against the cynicism only to be blasted with more of it. It's all good though! Everyone deserves an opinion!

micr0be 01/25/2010 6:48 PM
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faith is just another word for people that are too lazy to work hard and prove what they believe in. anyway this is too sensitive of a topic to discuss, especially with the brick wall of ignorance and stubbornness in many people. MY POINT IS .... stop talking, start laughing.

martel80 01/25/2010 6:51 PM
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headscratcher 01/25/2010 6:56 PM
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It always seems kind of ironic/silly to me that in the same breath people are proclaiming the intolerance of The Church AND telling them that they should change their teachings on birth control and chastity and whatnot. You expect the 2000 year church to bend to the lastest in pop culture? Ridiculous. Wouldn't be much of a church if it did, it would just be another trans-hippie cult/special interest group.

And then there is the assumed conflict between The Church and science/technology. It is The Church that brought science and technology to the West. The Church was the home of scientists and philosophy. The so called reformation saw the protestants sects deamonizing science and philosophy. It is the protestant fundementalists who gave us the monkey trials, not the Church. The Church opposed the protestants in much of this but, everyone lumps the Church in with the protestant fundementalists in blame and sites over dramatized stories about Galileo and the inquisition.

And let us not forget the gifts that the secular world has given us, gifts like Stalin and Hitler and Pol Pot. Is the Church filtering Google?

dogofwars 01/25/2010 7:25 PM
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[citation] Do what Jesus said...Pray in the privacy of your closet," or something like that. If religion were a private matter and remained such, then all would be well. But, when people try to convert others then we have problems...problems we could do without.The Catholic Church needs to get with the program and cease with this "no-birth control" shit. It works fine in developed countries because we just blow them off, but in un-developed countries they are too ignorant to think for themselves and believe the teaching of some celibate old-fart who dresses funny. [/citation]

Amen to that!! LOL atold-fart who dresses funny :)

codefuapprentice 01/25/2010 7:41 PM
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Oh great, they've finally decided to modernise and spread the "teachings of god" to the suggestable masses in a digital medium.

I'm very unreligious, and don't begrudge people their beliefs, but i don't personally approve of others trying to force beliefs onto people who don't want to believe in eternal beings such as this "God" "Allah" or even "Ganehsa" as i keep hearing about, as far as i'm concerned , they're just stories, don't get me wrong fiction is fantastic but trying to pass fiction for fact like these preachy buggers do just gets annoying and i've lost count of how many times i've been approached by jehovah's witnesses, christian and other religious associates.

omnimodis78 01/25/2010 7:52 PM
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mlopinto2k1 :
Dude, you know what people like you need? Evidence. If you think a select handful of people who have been "corrupted" speak for MILLIONS of people who practice Christianity then you have a problem. The media is who you shouldn't believe and there is TONS and TONS of proof of that. That is the ONLY reason you know what you know in the first place. Otherwise you would be confined to what you have physically experienced unless you like to believe hear-say. It's like FOX News is your religion and your spreading the word. Yea, that's respectable.


FOX news, what?! My good sir (or madam), I saw what religious bigots do, what the say and how they act when the cloth comes off (or often while it's still on). In my remark I did not disrespect any religion, but have no illusions that all men in cloth, robes, etc are brain-washing drones set upon your pasture to herd you like the sheep you are. You want to speak to God, do it from within your own heart through your deeds and actions, not by attending a creepy church service thinking that that is the only way to get your ticket into heaven. You are being mislead, and since you're a good faithful Christian from the sounds it, you'll realize this sooner or later.

jacobdrj 01/25/2010 7:54 PM
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Job 314 - Mission Impossible

Anonymous 01/25/2010 9:33 PM
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blueomni: "BUT I don't agree that people should be let to believe there is something better for them after they die while they sit idle and miserable about their dying world.
Instead of praying and begging, why not acting and doing something real to make the world a better place"

Exactly. I would call myself Christian, and one metaphor I heard quite accurately depicts the scene: are you soldiers fighting the war, or soldiers awaiting the airlift?

mlopinto2k1 01/25/2010 10:28 PM
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omnimodis78 :
FOX news, what?! My good sir (or madam), I saw what religious bigots do, what the say and how they act when the cloth comes off (or often while it's still on). In my remark I did not disrespect any religion, but have no illusions that all men in cloth, robes, etc are brain-washing drones set upon your pasture to herd you like the sheep you are. You want to speak to God, do it from within your own heart through your deeds and actions, not by attending a creepy church service thinking that that is the only way to get your ticket into heaven. You are being mislead, and since you're a good faithful Christian from the sounds it, you'll realize this sooner or later.

Practice what you preach. That's all. Don't tell ME what to do without actually doing what you think is right yourself. How about, keep YOUR thoughts to yourself and praise, whatever it is you... well, praise! Then, I might do the same for "you". But hey, I am sure you've done good things in your life and everyone deserves a chance to make changes in their lives. People make mistakes and always will.

mlopinto2k1 01/25/2010 10:37 PM
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martel80 :
Obviously, you weren't around when the inquisition burned "heretics" and "witches", when they slaughtered innocents during so called "crusades" etc. In my opinion the Christian church should have no right to spread their word on the internet because if they were still ruling us we would have no internet at all and they would still be doing the sick stuff (since the freedom of information/belief/whatnot is exactly what they don't want, they need just sheep followers with no opinion of their own, for these are the easiest ones to control).Loosening the grip of any church/dogma is what moves mankind forward. Constantly living under a single paradigm will not get us anywhere. Things need to change/progress which the Bible is the least likely to...

Here we are again at the same cross in the road. You weren't around either. You are "preaching" what you believe and if someone lashes out at that, they are the downfall of society. Am I on to something? Just because some group of people that THOUGHT their way of thinking was the right way of thinking doesn't speak for everyone else. Just keep that in mind. I know well enough that I am not going to pick up a weapon because you don't believe what I believe. I know a few people who would. No reason for any of that. I would never let the horror stories that plague religion interfere with my beliefs. Nothing that I interpret in my mind, in the Bible, tell me to kill people for not believing what I say.