September 20, 2019

Archbishop Thompson plans to ramp up evangelization efforts through Twitter

Criterion staff report

Twitter symbolArchbishop Charles C. Thompson has begun to make more frequent use of his Twitter account (@ArchbpCThompson) to share his thoughts on daily readings from Scripture, the lives of the saints and other aspects of Church teaching.

And following the lead of Pope Francis and other bishops, he plans to use social media as a tool of evangelization, catechesis and sharing information about matters of concern to Catholics and all people of good will.

“I recognize the importance of effective communications for carrying out the Church’s mission in our time,” he said, “and I look forward to expanding my outreach to the people of central and southern Indiana and beyond by using this increasingly popular instrument of communication.”

Archbishop Thompson welcomes comments on his reflections and encourages dialogue on issues that can be done in good faith. He requests that comments posted on his Twitter account reflect the courtesy and civility that should always characterize conversations between people who can disagree without being disagreeable. Individuals who post offensive or uncharitable comments may be blocked from further access to the archbishop’s Twitter account.

Pope Francis has demonstrated that attentive listening is essential to effective teaching and preaching. Archbishop Thompson hopes to use this social media initiative to listen carefully to the diverse voices speaking in the Church and in society today. He also hopes that his use of social media will generate opportunities for genuine encounter—and productive dialogue—among the more than 2,000 people who currently follow him on Twitter.

We encourage those with access to social media to follow the archbishop on Twitter @ArchbpCThompson. †

Local site Links: