"The language of digital social communications is conversational, interactive and dialogical. If our communication is to touch people's hearts and minds, we must be able to listen to them and engage seriously with their questions."

This is how Msgr. Paul Tighe, Secretary for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Vatican, addressed the participants of the Catholic Social Media Summit v2.0 at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Manila last November 23, 2014. Msgr. Tighe, who manages the Pope's twitter handle @Pontifex, flew in last November 19 to deliver the keynote address in the said event.

Msgr. Tighe acknowledges the power of social communication in the modern times. "Social media can be a nasty place. This can make good people shy away from it. But if we who are responsible social media practitioners shy away from it, this will leave social media open to malicious content."

Quoting from Pope Benedict XVI, Msgr. Tighe tells Catholic netizens, "Allow yourselves, without fear, to be this presence, expressing your Christian identity as you become citizens of this environment (Pope Francis, 21 September 2013)"

He adds, "We can only be effective communicators if we are soaked in the Word. Who is the Word? Jesus Christ. We do not only share the Word, but we invite people to get into a relationship with God." (Alma Alvarez)