Digital evangelizer calls to stop the “ideological colonization” on the Internet

José Manuel de Urquidi, Mexican digital evangelizer, called to recognize virtual platforms as crucial mission territories for the Catholic Church, before the “ideological colonization” that spreads messages that distort the understanding of young people about the dignity of human life.

In an interview with ACI Press, the Catholic layman expressed concern about what he considers a “normalization of the discard culture that Pope Francis denounced.” He stressed that this situation is worrying, since media such as video games “have extraordinary training power.”

He explained, for example, that through these digital resources, brands and organizations present “abortion without moral or spiritual context, they deform the understanding of young people about the sacredness of human life from conception.”

“We could say that we are witnessing an ideological colonization, again reference to the late Pope Francis, in the digital spaces, which is where young people spend a very good part of their days,” he said.

According to Urquidi, this process occurs in highly attractive and immersive environments, where “the deformation of consciousness happens almost imperceptibly, little by little.” Therefore, he insisted that digital spaces should be considered “crucial mission territories for the Catholic Church.”

“Are we like a Catholic Church really aware of the battle for the minds and hearts of our young people who are getting rid in the digital world?” He questioned. And he warned: “If we are not forming children and adolescents to know how to navigate in digital environments and discern what is happening there, secular brands with clear commercial interests will do it.”

Given this scenario, Urquidi called not to limit himself to a “merely defensive” attitude and stressed the urgency of developing “a proactive and creative digital presence.” From his experience, Urquidi stressed that “the podcasts and high quality audiovisual content that present the beauty of human life have a transformative impact on young people and adolescents.”

“The authentic testimony is our most powerful weapon. When we produce real stories of hope, when we show the human face behind brave decisions for life, when we create digital spaces where young people can ask difficult questions and get answers based on love and truth, we are generating an effective counterweight to the antivide narrative,” he said

Beyond influencersUrquidi insisted on the need to prepare true “digital missionaries”, that is, equipped people “with technical and spiritual tools to evangelize these spaces.” That task, he said, also includes accompanying and training parents and educators to understand the digital environment where their children grow.

Finally, he called for not remaining indifferent “while others mold the minds and hearts of children, adolescents and young people. The mission that Christ entrusted to us today has digital coordinates, and that is where we must be present, with creativity, truth and love.”