Go online, Catholic Church urged

The bully pulpit is no longer enough.

In the Internet age, the Catholic Church must adapt and become tech-savvy so it can hold its own amid competing voices in the information highway, a Church leader said Tuesday.

The Church is losing its influence among the youth in the information age, according to Fr. Favie Faldas, head of the National Youth Day (NYD) steering committee.

“The Church has lost its voice in a certain way,” Faldas told a Church-organized forum in Intramuros, Manila, Tuesday.

Where before the Church’s voice was strong among the youth, in this post-modern age there may come a point where we can no longer talk anymore of the Church age, he said.

“The information highway is open and anybody can throw information good or bad. It’s already the information age,” he said.

The situation is particularly acute in other countries, particularly those that once had robust Christian traditions that have now given way to secularism, according to Faldas.

“The fact that abortion is already accepted even in Christian countries, that’s already a sign,” he said.

“People are now aware that you can go against the Church. Before, nobody speaks against the Church. Now, they openly stand against the Church. Now, others have the courage to come out and speak their mind,” Faldas said.

All is not lost, however, as there is hope that the Church can regain its influence among the youth, as shown by the large turnout during the World Youth Day celebrations in Spain last August, he said.

The country’s Church leadership has scheduled a National Youth Day (NYD) festival, which opened at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati on November 14.

This is one of the highlights of this year’s celebration of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Year of the Youth, Faldas said.

The NYD includes a three-day catechesis from November 15 to 17, culminating with the handing out of awards to outstanding youth ministers and youth organizations across the country on November 18.

The NYD celebrations are being held in six festival sites in Metro Manila—Mary Help of Christians in Parañaque, Miraculous Medal Shrine in Sucat, Don Bosco in Tondo and Mandaluyong, Claret School in Quezon City and St. Joseph Parish in Las Piñas.