Jen Arnold of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Phoenix recently considered the Magisterium and its role as the teaching office of the Catholic Church.

Through it he examined the decree put forth in the 1960s by Vatican II that dealt with the emerging and growing means of mass communication that were available even then.

Since the “Decree on the Means of Social Communication” was first published, social communication has only grown in complexity and in power with the advancement of technologies such as the Internet, Arnold said in the church's Aug. 30 bulletin.

“The decree goes on to acknowledge that, like anything else, these new media platforms can be used to enrich man and build up the kingdom of God on earth, but they may also be misused for the purpose of being against God’s plan for man and cause him damage,” Arnold said.

Arnold enumerates some of the directives from six decades ago and how they remain relevant, such as the importance for social communication to be true and to be delivered with love.

“With all of this comes a responsibility to consider morality in the use of media, to lead souls toward good and not toward sin,” Arnold said.

But there is also responsibility for the faithful in how media is consumed, such as in choosing carefully the sources that are consumed and to take in social communication with an informed conscience.

“Consumers must learn moderation and discipline in using media, something we can see a great struggle with today, as our devices have made our access to social communication so easy,” Arnold said. The council also addressed the responsibility of parents to ensure access to media does not harm their children.

Yet, the Church is also not to play simply a passive role in the ever-evolving technological landscape, Arnold said. Rather, the leaders and faithful should be always looking for ways in which to make the best use of social communication tools in order to spread the Gospel.