“Thanks to new media we can reach everyone with the message of the Gospel, show abundance and beauty of the community of believers and help finding spiritual contents in everyday affairs.” Bishop Marek Solarczyk of Radom Diocese in interview with Marta Karpińska.

Are new media useful for the Church?

In all periods of history of the Church each new form of media communication was useful for preaching the Gospel and uniting people living through their faith. Today’s forms of media also open new possibilities, although they will never substitute the value of personal experience of unity with the God and the experience of community of the Church.

How important are media in spreading faith, especially among the younger generation?

Contemporary media enable very easy access to religious contents and offer great abundance of forms of communication. Young people use the newest electronic forms to search for information that are important for them, but also for a chance to find people engaged in the life of the Church. It’s enough to look at very interesting and valuable profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or even TikTok. Unfortunately, individual searching and multiplicity of offers also pose many threats that young people may overlook. Thus, it is very important to accompany them in their life efforts and shaping mature faith.

What is the best way of using media in evangelisation?

As evangelisation is to reveal the God to man and to help accept the God’s life, thanks to new media we can reach everyone with the message of the Gospel, show abundance and beauty of the community of believers and help finding spiritual contents in everyday affairs. Still, the God’s most important mysteries and living with His grace require not only a media message, but primarily engagement and personal care for living with the God.

Are the saints still meaningful examples for contemporary people, especially young?

Media communication and especially the value of living with the God introduce us to the experience of man who lives with others and for whom the God becomes the source of life. When one abandons the conviction of sufficiency of one’s own strength then one appreciates others, listens to them and tries to imitate them. This is the value of testimony. It is especially strong when we discover in another person some secrets of our own life or when that person shows fulfilment for our wishes. This is the power of testimony of the saints, who reveal the God to us, like the servant of God Jacek Krawczyk, who discovered the value of his life, helped others to maintain dignity of their lives and primarily lived with the God. Such persons are inspiring.

/mdk