In his message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications (English, Spanish) on Sunday, May 17, Pope Leo focuses on the theme, Preserving Human Voices and Faces / Custodiar voces y rostros humanos.
Pope Leo writes: “Faces and voices are sacred. God, who created us in his image and likeness, gave them to us when he called us to life through the Word he addressed to us. This Word resounded down the centuries through the voices of the prophets and then became flesh in the fullness of time. We too have heard and seen this Word (cf. 1 John 1:1–3)— in which God communicates his very self to us—because it has been made known to us in the voice and face of Jesus, the Son of God.”
As he reflects on the need for responsibility, cooperation, and education in response to the changing face of our digital world, he writes, “The task laid before us is not to stop digital innovation, but rather to guide it and to be aware of its ambivalent nature. It is up to each of us to raise our voice in defense of human persons, so that we can truly assimilate these tools as allies.”
Let us join in prayer with Pope Leo:
May faces and voices speak for people again.
May we cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity, to which all technological innovation should also be oriented.
May the Lord Jesus, the Word of truth and love, bless all those who work for the common good through the media.
Amen.
Image credit: elenabsl/stock.adobe.com
