Date of Award

2017

Degree Name

Master of Philosophy (School of Philosophy and Theology)

First Supervisor

Dr Moira Debono, RSM

Second Supervisor

Dr Matthew Tan

Abstract

From the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) there has been a recovery of the understanding of the nature of the Church as communion. The communion of the Church is derived from the divine love between the three Persons of the Trinity and gives rise to communion among the faithful. It is evident in scripture and was understood by the early Church. This shift in ecclesiology underpinned the renewal of the Church’s mission of evangelization in the years since the Council. The Church is called to go out to the whole world and tell the Good News of Jesus Christ in new ways for new times. This means promoting an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. It is the responsibility of all people, regardless of their vocation, to proclaim and witness to Christ. Due to the increasing secularisation of modern western societies this led to the call for the New Evangelization. Throughout history, communicating Christ and the Good News has been done through the media of social communications. In the years since the Council, there has been developed a theology of communication which recognises that communication can be a useful way for the Church to reach the goal of communion. At the same time, there has been a revolution in the forms of media available, including digital media that have been enabled by the invention of the Internet. This has also led to a new culture of communication. The Church must evangelize within this culture. In fact, the Church itself could be regarded as an act of communication as she facilitates the encounter with Christ and draws the hearer into the Trinity, which is a relationship of love. Thus there is an inherent link between communion, communication and evangelization.

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