Counsel on Use of Social Media “Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious.” with 6 Suggestions for Guidance from the Catholic Bishops of Canada

Bishops Release a Pastoral Letter on the Use of Social MediaWednesday, January 24, 2024
Today, on the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, and with the approval of the Permanent Council, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) releases its Pastoral Letter on the use of social media titled: “Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious.”
Acknowledging the prominent role social media has come to play at an individual and societal level, this timely Pastoral Letter considers the benefits and dangers of social media from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. It provides tools for moral reflection and self-examination, and suggests seven commitments by which to be guided for a more ethical use of social media:check for accuracy
-seek greater perspective
-value human dignity
-bring curiosity into the conversation
-distinguish between intention and impact
-privilege “in real life” encounters
-tend to our time spent online

LET YOUR SPEECH ALWAYS BE GRACIOUS, SEASONED WITH SALT, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW HOW YOU OUGHT TO ANSWER EVERYONE. — Colossians 4:6

INTRODUCTION 1. Twenty years ago, few of us would have even heard the term “social media.” Now it permeates almost every aspect of our lives. We use it to keep in contact with family and friends and distant cousins. We read both neighbourhood, national, and international news on it. We connect with strangers who share our interests and hobbies. We discover events in which we want to participate and videos that make us laugh. 

Currently, 87% of the Canadians who have access to the internet are active on social media.

By 2026, that number is expected to climb to 96%.

The average Canadian social media user has 6.4 accounts and spends an average of 1 hour and 56 minutes per day perusing various platforms.

2. On one hand, we could say that social media is simply one more way we have developed to communicate with others—the latest in an ever-growing repertoire of possibilities that over the course of human history has included everything from sign language to the spoken word to written texts. Like every mode of communication, it exists to serve a fundamental human good: the building of bridges among people by the sharing of information. As Pope Benedict XVI observed, this desire to connect with others—whatever the mode—is a beautiful thing: “When we find ourselves drawn towards other people, when we want to know more about them and make ourselves known to them, we are responding to God’s call – a call that is imprinted in our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of God, the God of communication and communion.”

“SOCIAL MEDIA EXISTS TO SERVE A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN GOOD: THE BUILDING OF BRIDGES AMONG PEOPLE BY THE SHARING OF INFORMATION.”

We applaud the missionary spirit of those who have felt a call to witness explicitly to their Christian faith through social media—sharing quality resources about the faith; inviting friends to visit their parish or come on a retreat; celebrating Catholic feasts and practices online. We welcome more of this! At the same time, we recognize that the most fundamental way we witness to our faith is by the quality of our lives—how we treat other people; how we handle our disagreements; how we respond to challenges and disappointments. Indeed, whether we choose to be explicit about our faith on social media platforms or not, all of us are called to ensure that our conduct online gives witness to Christian virtue. For example, if we share our Catholic faith with others online, but do so in ways that are not grounded in charity, prudence, and truth, we may end up doing harm rather than good.

 At this time, we call on all Canadian Catholics to pause and reflect—both individually and communally—on their engagement with social media and on how they might be part of the larger effort to claim the “digital continent” for Christ, most particularly by the quality of their conduct online. 

“IT IS POSSIBLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY MEAN WELL AND STILL CAUSE HARM, JUST AS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE HURT AND FOR THE OTHER PERSON NOT TO HAVE INTENDED OUR HURT.”

Joining in prayer with Pope Francis, we lift up our voices to the Lord, asking that every effort we make in this emerging arena might serve God’s greater design:

PRAYER Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication that does not build communion. Help us to remove the venom from our judgments. Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters. You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds of goodness for the world: where there is shouting, let us practise listening; where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony; where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity; where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity; where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety; where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions; where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust; where there is hostility, let us bring respect; where there is falsehood, let us bring truth. Amen.

See the FULL TEXT - The Pastoral Letter concludes with Discussion Questions to stimulate deeper reflection individually or in group settings.

https://www.cccb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Pastoral-Letter-on-Social-Media_EN-2024-01-22.pdf