There is an application in our smartphones that tells us how much time we have spent in front of the phone each day: it is often much more than the time we have spent with ourselves or with people we love. If we had been told this 20 years ago, we probably would not have believed it.
New technologies are transforming our personal lives: just think of the overbearing way artificial intelligence has entered the daily lives of many of us. Or the impact that video calls, and remote meetings, have had on our relationships and our work.
Pope Francis, too, has been exploiting the possibilities for several years: images of his video calls with the Gaza parish have gone around the world; his social media posts get hundreds of thousands of interactions each day; his personal profile on Click To Pray allows many to join him in prayer. These are all positive uses of new technologies, which in themselves present both opportunities and risks. It is no coincidence, then, that it is precisely to the use of new technologies that the Holy Father dedicates his prayer intention for this month.
In the Pope’s Video, which accompanies his message, there are kids alienated in front of their screens, in the privacy of their rooms, but also astronauts who, thanks to new technologies, can explore space. There is technology that makes disabled people walk, that produces clean energy, that reconstructs artistic masterpieces and allows their beauty to be disseminated. And there is, of course, Francis, whose words help us reflect.
The differentiator, the Pope says, is human relationships. If technology serves man, it is good for everyone. If, on the other hand, it makes us lose the habit of looking into each other’s eyes, and finding each other as brothers and sisters, then something is wrong.
So let us pray with Francis “that the use of new technologies does not replace human relationships, that it respects the dignity of people and helps to face the crises of our time.”
Andrea Sarubbi
Coordinator of The Pope Video