1

LITURGY AND SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

Fr. Reginald R. Malicdem

On December 4, 1963, the Second Vatican Council promulgated its very first
document – the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium. But let us
not forget that there were actually two documents that the Council promulgated that day,
the other being the Decree on the Means of Social Communication Inter Mirifica. These
two conciliar documents, born on the same day, are, therefore, twins. Was this merely a
coincidence? Or does this tell us about some connections between the liturgy and social
communications?

The Church has always considered the means of social communications available
in each generation as a gift to humanity and “recognizes that these media, if properly
utilized, can be of great service to humankind, since they greatly contribute to [people’s]
entertainment and instruction as well as to the spread and support of the Kingdom of
God.”1 Through stained glass windows, printed materials, radio transmission, television
broadcast, and the new media of blogs, text messaging, and the various social media
platforms, the Church has sought to proclaim the same message of Jesus Christ in ways
that easily reach people and through means that people clearly understand.

On February 12, 1931, Pope Pius XI addressed the whole world on the radio, the
very first time in history that a pope’s voice was broadcasted over the radio. In the late
1940s, Pope Pius XII established the television service of the Vatican, even before Italy
did. And in 1949, he sent a televised Easter greeting, the very first time a pope appeared
on television. On Pentecost Sunday of 1954, the Mass of Pope Pius XII was televised,
which marked the beginning of the live telecast of papal celebrations. In 1995, the
Vatican launched its website. In 2012, under Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican opened the
first papal Twitter feeds, which have grown to more than 23 million followers in nine
languages under Pope Francis.2 In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI was the first pope to talk to
astronauts in space which Pope Francis also did in 2017.

The way that the Church deals with social media should not come to us as a
surprise. God is a God who communicates and he employs whatever means available to
communicate his message to people. The burning bush, the pillar of cloud and the pillar
of fire, visions, the prophets, angels, stars, and even the donkey that spoke to Balaam (cf.
Number 22, 28-30) – are not all these the media God used in Scriptures?

1
Vatican II, Decree on the Media of Social Communication Inter Mirifica (4 December 1963) 2.
2
Cf. Rachel Donadio, “Life on the Papal Beat,” The New York Times Magazine (18 September 2015).
 2

But in the fullness of time, God sent the most powerful medium of his self-
communication – Jesus. “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our
ancestors through the prophets; in these last days he spoke to us through a son” (Hebrews
1, 1). “Christ is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1, 15), proclaims St. Paul.
“To have seen me is to have seen the Father” (John 14, 9), Jesus tells Philip. In Jesus,
God’s word became flesh. The climax, therefore, of God’s self-communication is Jesus.

The Church continues the self-revelation of Christ who is God incarnate. And the
liturgy is the place where God continues to communicate with humanity. “There he
continues to speak to them – the men [and women] of today; and the purpose of this self-
communication is still the same: to impart the divine life to us in him and through his
Spirit.” To the outsider, the liturgy can seem to be no more than words, gestures, and
rituals. But for the Christian, the liturgy “is the clearest instance of God’s speaking to
[his people] through his Word, of Christ communicating his life to us through the
sacraments.”3

That Sancrosanctum Concilium and Inter Mirifica were promulgated on the same
day, therefore, was not just coincidental but providential. There is indeed an intrinsic
connection between the liturgy and social communication. The liturgy is itself
communication. In the liturgy, God communicates with humanity visibly and humanity
responds to God visibly and in community. The liturgy, albeit ostensibly an affair
between human beings, mediates God’s revelation and self-communication.4

I wish to deepen our reflection on the relationship between the liturgy and social
communications by using three words commonly used in social media: visibility,
community, and integrity.5 Here I wish to focus more on the contemporary media of
social communications, namely, the internet-based social media.

Visibility

The social media has become the new habitat of a great majority of people all over
the world. There are now more active Facebook accounts than there are Catholics
worldwide. The latest Digital 2019 report from Hootsuite and We Are Social shows that
Filipinos spend an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes on the internet daily, mostly on
social media,.6 We now talk of “digital natives” in the “digital continent.” Undoubtedly,
3
Kevin Donovan, “Liturgy and Communication” in The Way, Vol. 12, No. 2 (1972), 92.
4
Cf. Ibid., 93.
5
Cf. Department of Communications of the USCCB, Social Media Guidelines (4 June 2014).
6
Krissy Aguilar, “Filipinos spend more time on internet, social media worldwide – study” in Inquirer.net
(31 January 2019).
 3

social media “has evolved into a cultural ‘environment’. . . It is a way to live in and
organize our world. It is not a separate environment, but it is becoming ever more
integrated into our everyday lives.”7 Pope Benedict XVI affirms this when he said, “the
digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily
experience of many people, especially the young.”8

Visibility of the Church in the cyber world is, therefore, necessary. “The Church
needs to establish a presence in the digital world so that it understands this new cultural
frontier – both to learn the culture and to propose the Good News to the digital natives.
Failure in this mission may well threaten the life of the Church.”9 Pope Francis invites
the Church to “boldly become citizens of the digital world. The Church needs to be
concerned for, and present in, the world of communication, in order to dialogue with
people today and to help them encounter Christ.”10

Visibility is not alien to the liturgy. As the exercise of the priestly office of Jesus
Christ, the liturgy is the work of Christ. Through signs and symbols, the liturgy makes
Jesus present and visible in the here and now of the Church. In the liturgy, visibility is
also expressed in “inculturation.” In the course of history, the Church’s liturgy has
always adapted to the cultures and traditions of peoples so that they may worship and
celebrate in their own unique ways and native language. Liturgical inculturation is also
about visibility. The challenge now is to liturgically inculturate in the digital world.

Are our dioceses, parishes, and communities visible in the digital world? Do we
have a liturgical presence is the social media? Are we present in Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and other platforms? Do we have a website? Is there an established
multimedia ministry in our dioceses and parishes?

We, in the Archdiocese of Manila, have exerted much effort to make ourselves
visible in the digital world. Aside from the Archdiocesan website, the different offices,
ministries, and parishes have their own Facebook pages, Twitter, and Instagram accounts
where engagement is higher than in the websites. I am now assigned at the Manila
Cathedral which, aside from its historical significance as the mother church of the
Philippines, is also a well-known wedding church. Aside from just using our website for
information and news, we utilized it to facilitate wedding arrangements. Couples can
book their wedding online, just like booking a hotel. They need not go to the office to fill
out forms as they are sent via email. They need not call the office for inquires as they
7
Antonio Spadaro, Cybertheology: Thinking Christianity in the Era of the Internet (New York 2014), 139.
8
Pope Benedict XVI, World Communication Day Message 2013.
9
Antilles Episcopal Conference, Being Church in a Digital Milieu: A Pastoral Letter on Communications
(6 August 2017), 34.
10
Pope Francis, World Communication Day Message 2014.
 4

could just send a text message, an email, or a message via Viber or Messenger. This
makes the process convenient. Even those from abroad could easily arrange for their
weddings. Of course, the canonical interview and the wedding itself, could not be done
online!

Live streaming of Masses has proved to be an effective way of liturgical visibility

in the social media. The live stream of the Masses in the Minor Basilica of the Black
Nazarene (Quiapo Church) on a Friday gets thousands of viewers from all over the world.
Filipinos in all parts of the country and those working abroad are very appreciative of this
presence for this enables them to continue with their devotion even from afar.

We can also live stream the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, praying of
novenas, the recitation of the rosary, station of the cross, and Holy Hour. Through the
live streaming of our liturgical activities and popular devotions we could reach more
people than our churches can contain.

This possibility of liturgical presence in the social media raises some questions.
What kind of “spiritual effect” does watching a live stream Mass have? Could
“watching” be considered “attending”? Will the principle of “spiritual communion” also
apply? If the blessing and granting of indulgence at the Pope’s Urbi et Orbi on Easter
Sunday and Christmas Day could be transmitted to through television and radio, which
presupposes that grace passes through the media of social communications, could
blessings of cars, homes, religious articles, and other blessings be done via video call?
Could confession be done online using Skype? I was shocked to discover a website
called “eConfessional,” a virtual confessional where the penitent just has to indicate
his/her gender, age, and click the sins committed from a list provided, and, voila, the
penance and absolution are given.

Liturgical visibility in the digital world is essential but it has certain limitations.
“Virtual reality is no substitute for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the
sacramental reality of the other sacraments, and shared worship in a flesh-and-blood
human community. There are no sacraments on the Internet; and even the religious
experiences possible there by the grace of God are insufficient apart from real-world
interaction with other persons of faith. Here is another aspect of the Internet that calls for
study and reflection.”11

11
Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church and the Internet (22 February 2002), 5.
 5

Community

Social media creates relationships and communities. Through the interaction made
possible by social networks, virtual communities are built. People could consider each
other as “friends” even if they have not personally met. This is one of the major defining
characteristics of the contemporary forms of social media. While traditional media
features static content and one-way flows of information, the new forms of social media
transmit content through connection and conversation. It enables people around the world
to share, comment on, and discuss a wide variety of topics. Unlike any of the past
technologies, the new platforms of social media are grounded on interactive
community.12

The concept of the community is very much at home in the liturgy. As the action
of the whole Body of Christ, head and members, the liturgy, by its very nature, is
ecclesial and, therefore, communal. This communitarian dimension is one aspect of the
liturgy that Vatican II wishes to emphasize. We worship God not just as individuals but
as a community. And because the liturgy is a communal act, no one should be there
simply as strangers or passive spectators. The full, conscious, and active participation in
the liturgy is the best epiphany of the Church. 13 In the liturgy, gathered in the name of
Jesus, we manifest the Church.

Here the Church and social communications can mutually benefit from each other.
Social media is a powerful tool for establishing and strengthening Christian communities.
It can support our communities by connecting people with similar interests, by sharing
information about church activities and events, and by providing ways for people to
engage in dialogue. Pope Francis said that “it is not enough to be passersby on the digital
highways, simply “connected”; connections need to grow into true encounters.” 14
Engagement in social media should lead to engagement in real life. Engagement, in
social media, is defined as the activity that happens around a message posted on a social
network. This activity includes likes, comments, and shares. The more engagement that
happens on a particular message, the more it will be seen.15 The Church can utilize social
media to strengthen Christian communities and human relationships by creating
engagement.

The likers and followers of our social media accounts could be considered as our
virtual community. Those who view the live stream of our liturgical celebrations and

12
Cf. Brandon Vogt, “The Digital Continent” in The Church and the New Media (Huntington 2011) 17.
13
Cf. Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium (4 December 1963), 41, 48.
14
Pope Francis, World Communication Day Message 2014.
15
Cf. Department of Communications, Social Media Guidelines.
 6

post their comments can relate to each other virtually. When they comment, “Amen,” “I
am praying for you,” or when they post their prayer requests for all the others who are
online to see, is this not a community? We can use the social media to invite people to
our church events and activities. Recently, we launched a new musical setting for Mass in
Tagalog commissioned by the Manila Cathedral. We did not send out printed invitations
via mail or email. No posters or banners. No ads in newspapers. No press conference to
announce the event. We simply relied on social media to invite people to the launching.
We built up the event by constantly posting on our Facebook page different information
related to the new musical setting, the composer, the musical arranger, the lyricists. Lo
and behold, on the day of the launch, we got more or less 800 people who came from
different parts of northern Philippines. That community was created by the use of social
media.

We could use the power of social media to gather people. But we need to know
the social media strategy. We need to create our social media plan, produce engaging
promotional materials, and strategically post them on our social media accounts.
Creating a social media plan means that it should not just be a single posting about our
event. We have to build it up by planning the materials that we post daily leading to the
actual event. Then we produce the materials. Short but captivating videos prove to get
the most engagement. If photos are used, they must be clear and appealing. Using
personalities greatly help. We have proven that if Cardinal Tagle is in the video or the
photo, engagement soars really high. And then we post it strategically, meaning, the
posting is scheduled at those times of the day when more people are online which means
there will be more engagement.

Social network communities, however, are still virtual communities that often
remain simply as groups of individuals who recognize one another through common
interests or concerns characterized by weak bonds. Digital natives, especially young
people, might have the illusion that the social network communities can replace their
relational needs. There is the dangerous phenomenon of becoming “social hermits” who
risk alienating themselves completely from society. Virtual communities should lead us
to authentic human encounters, something that the liturgy makes possible. “If the Net is
used as an extension or expectation of such an encounter, then the network concept is not
betrayed and remains a resource for communion. If a family uses the Net to be more
connected, to then meet at table and look into each other’s eyes, then it is a resource. If a
Church community coordinates its activity through the network, and then celebrates the
Eucharist together, then it is a resource. If the Net becomes an opportunity to share
stories and experiences of beauty or suffering that are physically distant from us, in order
to pray together and together seek out the good to rediscover what unites us, then it is a
resource. This is the network we want, a network created not to entrap, but to liberate, to
 7

protect a communion of people who are free. The Church herself is a network woven
together by Eucharistic communion, where unity is based not on “likes”, but on the truth,
on the “Amen”, by which each one clings to the Body of Christ, and welcomes others.”16

It is good to remind ourselves that the digital world is not just a network of wires
but of people. It does not only involve technology, but is made up of real men and
women who bring with them, their hopes, their suffering, their concerns, their pursuit of
truth, beauty, and good. 17 The pastoral challenge is to ensure that technology serves
human interaction, multiplies the opportunities for social relationships, and thus
highlights the human need and the Gospel value of being a neighbor.18

Integrity

Integrity is a big word in the digital world. Because of the great influence of
social media to people, there has been a constant appeal to those responsible of social
communications to hold integrity, accountability, and truth as highest values. We have
all witnessed how social media has been used irresponsibly, how they have become
destructive weapons to foster injustice and conflicts rather than a powerful resource to
promote understanding among peoples.19 One such irresponsible use of social media is
the prevalence of what is now known as “fake news,” which “refers to the spreading of
disinformation online or in the traditional media. It has to do with false information based
on non-existent or distorted data meant to deceive and manipulate the reader. Spreading
fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions, and serve
economic interests.”20

Here lies the irony of the digital age. “We have far more access to information but
sometimes less access to truth. Facts and truth are being threatened on the Internet today,
especially in social media platforms like Facebook. Some people are misled to instantly
believe what they read, often without verifying, making them vulnerable to ‘fake news’
and other deliberate manipulations by the so-called ‘trolls’ and ‘bots’. We need to
educate our people to access truth from this emerging culture in which ‘likes’ are more
important than truth.”21

16
Pope Francis, World Communication Day Message 2019.
17
Cf. Pope Francis, World Communication Day Message 2014.
18
Cf. Antilles Episcopal Conference, Being Church in a Digital Milieu, 3.
19
Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Rapido Sviluppo (24 January 2005), 11.
20
Pope Francis, World Communication Day Message 2018.
21
Antilles Episcopal Conference, Being Church in a Digital Milieu, 26.
 8

For the Church, communication is not primarily about technology and efficiency.
It is a spiritual responsibility because what we are communicating as Church, especially
in the liturgy, is the Truth who is God. The call to visibility in the digital world goes with
the mission to evangelize it. Social media is a means to evangelize but it is also a world
that needs to be evangelized. This is what we call as “cyber evangelization” and
Christians who are digital natives are called to become “cyber missionaries.”

In the liturgy, integrity could mean using the social media in liturgical catechesis,
education, and formation. We can post liturgical notes or catechetical videos to prepare
people to our upcoming celebrations. We can use the social media to teach people about
new songs for Mass. In our Manila Cathedral Facebook page, we post musical setting for
the coming Sunday’s responsorial psalm. We can use the social networks to educate
people about the liturgy. Sadly, there are also “fake news” or erroneous teachings about
the liturgy proliferating in the digital world. There are many websites and social media
accounts that propagate varying liturgical advocacies. The danger is that people who
have little or no proper education in theology and the liturgy are easily persuaded. There
are social media pages that have no other motive than to bash priests, bishops, and the
Pope when they say or do something that goes against the page administrators’
traditional, conservative stance.

Where are we in this? Sometimes our response would simply be to disregard them
so as not to add fuel to the fire. We reason out that if we answer back, it means that we
have fallen to their trap and that the debate would be endless. A few years back, a
Facebook page posted something against Fr. Anscar Chupungco and his efforts to
promote Vatican II’s vision of liturgical inculturation. One priest wittingly commented
on the post, “When you have an ignoramus writing against Anscar Chupungco who the
whole world acknowledged as an authority, ignore him. Ignorance deserves no
recognition. It does not even merit rebuttal.” While there is truth to this, my worry is, if
there will be no one to speak the truth, people might take the lies they see in social media
as truth. Then we lose by default.

Pope Francis said, “disinformation [thus] thrives on the absence of healthy

confrontation with other sources of information that could effectively challenge
prejudices and generate constructive dialogue; instead, it risks turning people into
unwilling accomplices in spreading biased and baseless ideas. The tragedy of
disinformation is that it discredits others, presenting them as enemies, to the point of
demonizing them and fomenting conflict.”22 While it is right that we have to choose our
battles, we also must look for ways to promote the truth and orthodox teachings of the
Church. Do we use our websites and social media pages to promote the teachings of

22
Pope Francis, World Communication Day Message 2018.
 9

Vatican II on the liturgy and clarify issues and answer questions? How extensively have
we used the social media platforms to catechize, educate, and form people in the liturgy?

Conclusion

These three essential elements of contemporary social media could be indicative

of some sad realities in our present society.

Could it be that the need for visibility in social media indicative that we are living
in a generation of absence? Could it be that virtual presence is more valued now because
of the evident absence of significant people in our life? Could it be that young people are
more visible in social media because it is there that they are assured of the presence that
they long for?

Could it be that the desire to be always connected indicative of the longing for
authentic community and real human encounter? Why is it that the more that we have all
the technology to connect us to each other the more people feel isolated and alone?
Could it be that the desire to accumulate “friends” or “followers” in the networking sites
shows the lack of real human friendships?

Could it be that the clamor for integrity indicative of the lack of honesty, honor,
and truth in society and in our lives? Is truth determined simply by opinions, the number
of likes, and surveys? What is truth? Where could we find truth?

The liturgy is about the presence of the one who assures us, “I am with you
always, until the end of age” (Matthew 28, 20). The liturgy connects us to each other and
makes us a community gathered in the name of him who made the promise, “where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18,
20). The liturgy communicates the never changing truth of our faith, the truth that is not
an idea or concept, but a person who reveals himself as “the way, the truth, and the life”
(John 14, 6).

The liturgy is, therefore, not just connected to social communication. The liturgy
could in fact be considered as the greatest social media that our world needs because it
communicates the greatest presence, the one true friend, and the eternal truth – Jesus
Christ.

That in all things God may be glorified.