Today’s communication favours the immediate, the visual and the emotional, often to the detriment of reflection and depth. This can lead to a shallow understanding of the faith, reduced to slogans and catchphrases.
Newsroom (19/05/2025 21:34, Gaudium Press) In the contemporary scenario, marked by an unprecedented communications revolution, the Catholic Church faces unprecedented challenges in proclaiming the Gospel. The society of the spectacle, a term that sums up the predominance of images, entertainment and superficiality in human relations, imposes a new dynamic on the evangelizing mission. It is in this context that Pope Leo XIV, recently elected and already recognized for his missionary and episcopal experience in Peru, took over the leadership of the Church with an inaugural speech that caught the attention of journalists, theologians and the faithful around the world.
Italian Vaticanist Sandro Magister, in his latest post on the Diakonos blog, offers an insightful analysis of this speech and the implications it has for communication and evangelization in the digital age. Magister not only highlights the Pope’s words, but also places them in a historical and theological context, evoking the heritage of the Church Fathers and the challenges they faced in times of crisis.
On the day of his election, Pope Leo XIV addressed an assembly of more than five thousand journalists from around the world in a historic public audience. In his speech, he emphasized two central themes: peace and truth.
The Pope emphasized that peace is not just the absence of war, but a state of harmony that requires mutual respect, sincere dialogue and a commitment to justice. He recalled that communication, when used responsibly, can be a powerful instrument for building peace, promoting understanding between peoples and combating disinformation.
Another crucial point of the speech was the defense of press freedom. Pope Leo XIV expressed his solidarity with all journalists who, in different parts of the world, face persecution, imprisonment and even death for seeking to report the truth. He said that freedom of expression is a fundamental right, and that the Church supports those who carry out this mission with ethics and courage.
One of the most striking moments of the speech was the quote from St. Augustine: “We live well and the times will be good. We are the times.” With this phrase, the Pope wanted to remind us that each generation has its historical responsibility, and that the Church must be attentive to the changes in the world, without losing its identity and mission.
Sandro Magister, known for his analytical skills and deep knowledge of the Church, offers a reading that goes beyond the Pope’s words. In his post on Diakonos, he points out that Pope Leo XIV’s speech is an invitation to reflect on the role of the Church in the age of mass communication and the society of the spectacle.
Magister uses the concept of “society of the spectacle”, popularized by French philosopher Guy Debord, to describe a world where images and entertainment dominate social relations. In this scenario, communication loses its ethical dimension and becomes a consumer product, often devoid of deep meaning.
The Vaticanist warns of the danger of the Church giving in to the temptation to turn its liturgy and message into a spectacle in order to compete with modern media. This strategy, according to him, can lead to the loss of the depth of the Gospel and the dilution of faith, reduced to mere religious entertainment.
Magister emphasizes that the response to these challenges cannot be merely technical or media-driven, but must draw on the wisdom of the Fathers of the Church, such as St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Leo the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa. These past masters of communication knew how to dialog with their time, confronting anti-Christian currents with solid arguments and a deep faith.
To better understand Pope Leo XIV’s proposal and Sandro Magister’s analysis, it is essential to revisit the tradition of the Church Fathers with regard to communication and evangelization.
St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, is perhaps the most influential of the Church Fathers. His work, marked by profound philosophical and theological reflection, is also an example of effective communication. Augustine knew how to use rhetoric to persuade and convert, adapting his language to the audience and context.
St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was a great orator and defender of the Christian faith against heresies. His ability to speak with clarity and authority helped consolidate the Church in a period of great challenges.
Saint Leo the Great, Pope in the 5th century, faced political and religious crises with speeches that reaffirmed the unity of the Church and the truth of the Gospel. His ability to communicate the faith was crucial to the Church’s survival in turbulent times.
St. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil’s brother, combined theological depth with accessible language, making the Christian mystery comprehensible to the faithful.
We live in an age dominated by social networks, streaming, viral videos and an avalanche of information. This reality poses specific challenges for evangelization.
Today’s communication favors the immediate, the visual and the emotional, often to the detriment of reflection and depth. This can lead to a shallow understanding of the faith, reduced to slogans and catchphrases.
The ease with which content can be produced and disseminated also opens up space for the manipulation of information and the spread of fake news, which can confuse the faithful and weaken the Church’s credibility.
In this context, the Church needs to form communicators capable of dialoguing with contemporary culture, using modern tools without losing fidelity to the Gospel.
Faced with these challenges, Pope Leo XIV seems aware of the need for a renewed evangelization that respects tradition and, at the same time, dialogues with the present.
Despite his few words, the Pontiff made it clear that communicating the faith is not just informing, but witnessing to the truth with authenticity and love. Pope Leo XIV seems to be betting on the renewal of the Church as a living organism, capable of adapting without losing its essence. It will be interesting to see how he organizes the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, severely criticized by the Italian media for its lack of competence, transparency and high maintenance costs.
After reading Magister’s article, one question remains: in a society where the future seems to have already arrived, will Pope Leo XIV be able to respond to present challenges with teachings from the past? His next speeches, or lack thereof, will provide the answer.
By Rafael Tavares
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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