“Use Social Media Responsibly and Avoid Becoming Social Hermits,”urges Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrão
Panjim, Goa June 23, 2023 (CCBI). The President of the CCBI and Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, has urged us to use the social media responsibly and avoid becoming social hermits. Cardinal Ferrão was releasing the Indian edition of the book Towards Full Presence — A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media at a brief but significant function held at the Archbishop’s House in Panjim, Goa, on June 21, 2023.
“Social media offer a chance to encourage interaction with others, but they can also make us feel more alone. While using the social media, some people may develop the perilous tendency to isolate themselves from society by becoming ‘social hermits,’ which is a dangerous phenomenon,” said the Cardinal.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General, CCBI; Rev. Fr. Duming Gonsalves, Executive Secretary, Commission for Catechetics, Rev. Fr. Barry Cardozo, Director of Goa Archdiocesan Centre for Social Communications; Mr. Menino Menezes and Ms. Hazel Rodrigues were present at the releasing ceremony.
Towards Full Presence — A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media is the title of the document published by the Dicastery for Communication on May 29, 2023. The aim of the document is to promote a common reflection on the involvement of Christians in social media, which have increasingly become part of people\’s lives. The document offers an opportunity to begin a shared reflection on how to promote a culture of being ‘loving neighbours’ also in the digital world.
The Indian edition of the book Towards Full Presence is published by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). For copies, kindly contact the CCBI General Secretariat or call Mobile: +91-9886730224.
Fr. Stephen Alathara
Deputy Secretary General
Conference of Catholic Bishops of India