Program #0461 for Friday, February 1, 2013: Pope Benedict XVI on social networks

Pope Benedict XVI on social networks

Summary of today’s show: For his annual message on communications, Pope Benedict took up the topic of social networks as “spaces for evangelization.” Domenico Bettinelli joins Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell to discuss the Holy Father’s message as well as the potential pitfalls and promise of social media for Christians. Fr. Mark in particular acknowledges the challenge the Holy Father is offering but worries that the world of social media is a giant time-sink, so Scot and Dom try to address his concerns. Listen and see if they end up convincing him to dip a toe into the world of social networks.

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Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell

Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli of Pilot New Media

Links from today’s show:

• 47th World Day of Communications message: “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization.”
• Pope Benedict on Twitter

Today’s topics: Pope Benedict XVI on social networks

1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed listeners to the show and introduced his co-host, Fr. Mark O’Connell. They discussed the new canon lawyer who has started in Fr. Mark’s office, the Metropolitan Tribunal. He comes from Italy.

Today’s discussion centered around the Holy Father’s World Day of Communications message for this this year entitled “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization.” As our usual transcriptionist, Dom Bettinelli, was a guest on today’s show, we don’t have the complete

Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading.

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say,
‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said, “Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.