CorpComms Magazine

The Vatican's annual statistical report just put the number of Catholics worldwide at 1.2 billion but Pope Benedict XVI is by no means resting on his laurels. The pontiff has called upon his flock to take to social media networks in a bid to spread the word online.

The Pope delivered his plea to Catholic communications professionals at a congress entitled 'Digital witnesses - faces and languages in the cross-media era.'

Whilst warning the faithful to be wary of some of the threats posed by the Internet, such as those of 'conformity and control, and intellectual and moral relativism - already quite evident in a waning critical spirit, in the truth being reduced to a play of opinions,' he invited believers to go forth and explore this uncharted territory. 'Without fear we want to set sail for the digital sea, facing the open waters with the same passion that has governed the ship of the church for two thousand years.'

No doubt in part a response to recent high-profile clerical errors, the Vatican is looking to restore transparency and credibility to the faith with the aid of 'digital witnesses' - emissaries for the religion who will uphold its values and endorse its tenets online.

Addressing the congress on Saturday, Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told attendees: today is 'above all a time of truth, transparency, and credibility. Secrecy and confidentiality, even given their positive aspects, are not values that are cultivated by today's culture. It is necessary to be able to have nothing to hide.'

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