The Right to Christian Education in the Conditions of a Digital Culture

Abstract

Contemporary man encounters digitality on a daily basis, which affects his life at specific stages of development. This applies above all to the period of childhood and youth, when one is naturally subjected to educational processes. The Directory of Catechesis points out that this influence is so significant that it allows us to speak of a new culture, changing language, shaping mentality and introducing a new hierarchy of values. An important feature of the new culture is its global reach, because digitality by its nature crosses the borders of countries and continents, and geographical distances lose their importance. The ecclesiastical legislator, while respecting the right of every person to attain full personal development, declares in Can. 217 CCL/1983 the right of all the faithful to receive an integral Christian education. It is a continuous process that should be adapted not only to age, but also to the mentality of the faithful, which is significantly influenced by the new digital culture. The article answers the question of how to guarantee the right to a Christian education in the conditions of a digital culture. Duties on Church pastors ensue from this right of the faithful to carry out the mission of proclaiming the Gospel in the conditions of a digital culture, with particular emphasis on the postulate of humanization of language.