'TWITTERING' BISHOPS

ARTUR STELMASIAK

A twitter action of Polish bishops has begun. In the Week of Upbringing, lasting from 13 to 19 September, it was possible to follow their writings on the social portal.

The stereotype about Polish hierarchies was overcome in a cunning way. Bishops often associated with long homilies, started tweeting on the Twitter. However, the specifics of the portal is limiting the length of a writing to 140 signs.

- Eight bishops have got their accounts. They are active on the Twitter. Now, their action is coordinated by hashtag# education and all writings can be followed on the profile @EpiskopatNews – Fr. Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, a spokesman of the Polish Episcopal Conference says to 'Niedziela'.

The action is connected with the Week of Upbringing, lasting from 13 to 19 September. Short writings are devoted to upbringing based on Christian values. - On the Twitter there also appeared the teaching of these hierarchs who have not got their accounts yet on the social portal. In the Press Office of the Polish Episcopal Conference we were following opinions and letters of bishops about it and we placed their selected fragments on the profile – explains Fr. Rytel-Andrianik.

It is not the first action of 'twittering' of Polish bishops. The former chairperson of the Polish Episcopal Conference archbishop Jozef Michalik set up his twitter account already in 2002, that is, a few months before pope Benedict XVI did it. So, in respect of activity of social portal, the Polish Church is quite modern. - This year we celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of St. Jan Bosko, who was a devoted educator of the youth.

Therefore, we also invited the Salesians to use Twitter – says the spokesman of the Episcopal.

In this way the Church wants to reach to thousands of people who follow portal accounts of bishops and the Episcopal. Tweet entries devoted to upbringing are written among the others by: archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, archbishop Wojciech Polak, archbishop Józef Michalik, archbishop Józef Kupny, bishop Piotr Libera and bishop Marek Solarczyk. The action began on 13 September after the ‘Angelus’ prayer from an entry of bishop Marek Mendyk, the chairperson of the Commission of Catholic Upbringing of the Polish Episcopal Conference.

The inauguration of the profile took place on 4 September. The first tweet was a greeting in five languages: Polish, Italian, English, Spanish and Hebrew.

AA

„Niedziela” 38/2015

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl