The Mission in the Digital Environment
Vatican City: XVI General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (2026), 26 pp.
Other editions: also published in Italian and Spanish
"[...] The mission in the digital environment is part of the pastoral, missionary, and synodal conversion process to which the Holy Spirit is calling the Church today. It is not merely about using digital tools to proclaim the Gospel, but about embodying this proclamation within digital culture, where relationships, languages, and forms of community take on new and particular configurations. The Church’s presence in the digital environment can be a sign of communion and a witness of hope, capable of reflecting the merciful face of Christ. May this discernment help strengthen a more synodal, participatory, and missionary Church, faithful to its vocation of announcing the Gospel with creativity and fidelity." (Conclusion)
PART I. INTRODUCTION, 2
PART II. WHAT WE HEARD, WHAT IT MEANS, AND WHAT WE RECOMMEND, 5
1. What can a missionary synodal Church learn from greater immersion in the digital environment? 5
2. How can the digital mission be integrated more routinely into the life of the Church and into Church structures? 9
3. What adaptations to the digital environment does the notion of jurisdiction mainly linked to a geographical territory require? 12
4. What are practical recommendations or proposals regarding the Church’s mission in the digital environment? 15
5. Do you have any other input or good practices to share on this topic and possibly any other questions or challenges that need to be addressed in this journey of further study? 19
PART III. PROPOSALS FOR NEXT STEPS, 20
Proposals at the level of the Holy See -- Proposals at the level of Episcopal Conference -- Proposals at the Diocesan level
PART IV. CONCLUSION, 23
APPENDIX I. Methodology, 24
PART II. WHAT WE HEARD, WHAT IT MEANS, AND WHAT WE RECOMMEND, 5
1. What can a missionary synodal Church learn from greater immersion in the digital environment? 5
2. How can the digital mission be integrated more routinely into the life of the Church and into Church structures? 9
3. What adaptations to the digital environment does the notion of jurisdiction mainly linked to a geographical territory require? 12
4. What are practical recommendations or proposals regarding the Church’s mission in the digital environment? 15
5. Do you have any other input or good practices to share on this topic and possibly any other questions or challenges that need to be addressed in this journey of further study? 19
PART III. PROPOSALS FOR NEXT STEPS, 20
Proposals at the level of the Holy See -- Proposals at the level of Episcopal Conference -- Proposals at the Diocesan level
PART IV. CONCLUSION, 23
APPENDIX I. Methodology, 24
