50 new priests offered social media training by Catholic Church

Published May 8, 2019

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Cologne - The Catholic Church in Germany hopes to turn 50 new

priests into social media influencers by offering a two-day "smart

camp" starting on Wednesday in Cologne.

The younger generation could not be influenced from the pulpit alone,

the archdiocese of Cologne said. Social media had

major potential for improving the church's work in the community.

As a result, priests will be given training in the use of

Instagram, Youtube and writing blogs. They will also be educated on

risks in the digital world, such as hacking and cybermobbing. The

idea is to help them stand by their parishes, the largest German

diocese said.

Andreas Puettmann, a political scientist and religion expert, said it

was right that the church should expand its methods of communication,

but said priests should still be cautious about how they approach

social media and consider whether they really have time to engage

properly, especially given the raw tone of many online debates.

"I think that priests as social media influencers should be the

exception rather than the rule," Puettmann said.

DPA

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