THE POPE AND TWITTER

It's very surprising to hear that the Pope uses social networks like Twitter. I think using twitter accounts will make a difference in attracting the youth to take greater roles in the life of the Church. For a fact, the one thing that the youth are all connected to are social networking sites like Twitter. If the youth follows the Pope on Twitter, then they'd be exposed to inspiring quotes and advice on how to live and act in the world. It not only sets a good standard for living for young people, but also allow them to be more aware of the presence of the Pope and ultimately, the role of the Church in the world. If we are inspired by what the Pope says, then we'd be more wanting to get involved with the Church to do the things and accomplish things that the Pope talks about. Teenagers hardly attend church if they're not forced to, so communicating to them through social networks are extremely helpful in connecting them to the social issues and work of the Church, hopefully inspiring them to go to church regularly and volunteer and help out there. 

There are many advantages of having our church leader tweet. First of all, it breaks the biased perception that the church is old school and totally outdated to how the world is today. People feel that the church's views and beliefs are too old for the world we live in today, but by engaging in the most popular social network possible, it breaks down that stereotype and makes people reconsider the structuring and beliefs of the church to put them into practice. It is also an advantage because it allows the world to take on the perspective of the church and to live life differently, with values that are cherished in the church. What the catholic leader has to say impacts heavily on the world and this encourages people to make positive change in the world. People read positive tweets for change and life based on the values of Christ, making them live each day with a different perspective to change in a good way. However, disadvantages also follow the advantages of having our church leader tweet. One of those things include the negative comments that will be sent to him by people who don't share the same beliefs as him and who are against the church. This hurts the Pope and allows people to mock the church. Another thing is that others out there can hack into his account and say things that are extremely rude and against the church beliefs. Incidents have happened before with political leaders and it can happen again with the Pope's account. 

My church does not take part in the social media world. Maybe it's because they are not exposed to these things firsthand, or it's just not in their interests to do so. 

There are multiple ways to get the youth to be more involved. The church can hold parties, festivals, and social gatherings that connect everybody together, including the youth. These might include dinners, youth groups or gathering as a community to help out the needy. In my church, we used to have a youth group, which held monthly meetings that invited all the youth to be a part of. We would plan dinners and see how we could volunteer to help the church out to our best ability. It was fun and engaging, like I was part of something special. Another thing is getting the youth to be a part of church related activities like being part of the choir, altar serving or being a reader. If these roles are directed more to the youth, they will use these opportunities to gain service hours and help the church out and be inspired by what the church does. Personally, I'm an altar server and this allows me to connect with the people of the church and feel a belonging to the church community as well as being aware of the teachings of the church. The church could also hold events to help out the needy, like going downtown to serve the homeless or holding fundraisers with the youth to help others. This will make them feel like they're part of something big by making a difference to those in need.