Digital Reaction

29 December 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to dedicate World Communications Day 2010 to the theme ‘The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word.’  Father Robert King, known to many radio listeners as the ‘Cultural Cleric’ welcomed the Holy Father’s choice.

The message for the 44th world day is addressed especially to priests, as the Church continues to celebrate the Year for Priests.

The Holy Father urges priests to:  “Consider the new media as a powerful resource for their ministry in the service of the Word and wishes to express a word of encouragement in order to address the challenges stemming from the new digital culture

“If the new media is adequately known and appreciated, it can offer priests and all pastoral agents a wealth of data and content that previously was difficult to access, and it facilitates ways of collaboration and growth of communion that were unthinkable in the past.”

The forthcoming message has also been welcomed by Signis - the Wolrd Catholic Association for Communication. The President of SIGNIS, Augustine Loorthusamy said: “As a worldwide network of Catholic media professionals, with members active in over 120 countries and at every level of Church life, we are committed to helping priests and pastoral workers to understand and use the media in their ministry.

“Today, priests and pastoral workers must learn to communicate in a digital environment which is forming the minds and hearts of contemporary men and women.

“Signis members are ready to help train and mentor seminarians, priests and pastoral workers as they explore this new world and learn to communicate the Gospel message to a digital generation.”

Father Robert King, our priest they call the ‘Cultural Cleric’ because of his lively weekly radio reviews, told cliftondiocese.com: “Every member of the Church is called to proclaim the Gospel. Throughout the history of the Church, priests, religious and the lay faithful have strived to communicate a message of hope through the media of its day.

“The digital age provides tremendous potential for evangelisation and the work of SIGNIS facilitates the Church’s engagement with today's new media.  As a priest I am most grateful for the support and encouragement to integrate digital media in my ministry.”

You can tune into Father Robert’s cultural reviews every week on the award-winning Face to Faith on Bristol radio station BCfm.  Father Robert’s tried his hand at film-making.  He covered the visit of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux earlier this year.  He’s also a frequent contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day and earlier this year won a radio Oscar having been part of our gold winning podcast ‘The Budgerigar and the Prisoner’.  Last month Father Robert was invited to be a judge for an international film festival.

Father Robert also presented the popular ‘Father King’s Conversations’ on cliftondiocese.com.  His weekly podcast series explored faith and culture with fascinating local people.  There’ll be a new series in 2010.