Commitment to Justice and Peace
The Internet is the new “forum” understood in the ancient Roman sense of that public space where politics and business were transacted, where religious duties were fulfilled, where much of the social life of the city took place, and where the best and the worst of human nature were on display. It was a crowded and bustling urban space, which both reflected the surrounding culture and created a culture of its own. This is no less true of cyberspace, which is as it were a new frontier opening up at the beginning of this new millennium. Like the new frontiers of other times, this one too is full of the interplay of danger and promise, and not without the sense of adventure which marked other great periods of change. For the Church, the new world of cyberspace is a summons to the great adventure of using its potential to proclaim the Gospel message. This challenge is at the heart of what it means at the beginning of the millennium to follow the Lord’s command to “put out into the deep.” (Lk 5: 4)
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Pope John Paul II, World Communications Day, May 12, 2002.
We recognize that over time, society has evolved through the agricultural and industrial ages and is now in the information and technological age. With these advances comes a Digital Divide which brings both opportunities and challenges.
Throughout our history as Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, we helped shape education and health care. Today, one of our greatest responsibilities is to embrace the new age of information while exercising moral responsibility to see that technology is used for the common good rather than to benefit only a few.
Our 2002 Chapter directed us to, “take full advantage of technology” in order to promote the common good. We feel a responsibility to provide leadership in closing the Digital Divide, understanding that what is most important is the ability to address the systemic issues. We do this by finding ways of empowering the poor through closely studying their circumstances and collaborating with others to help change the context of poverty.