By C.M. Paul
Kolkata, November 13, 2026: For a religious congregation founded on being physically present among the young, stepping into the virtual world presents both an urgent frontier and a delicate pastoral challenge.
Responding to this reality, the Salesian Province of Bombay (INB) and BOSCOM South Asia have released a timely 15-page policy manual titled Principles and Guidelines for Personal and Apostolic Use of Social Media.
Drafted by the Bombay Province’s Social Communications Commission—with foundational research by Salesian Fr. Nathaneal George and Father Leon Rodrigues, and refined through consultations with BOSCOM South Asia’s executive council—the document moves beyond technical dos and don’ts.
Instead, it reframes social media as a new digital playground where Don Bosco’s Preventive System must take root through authentic accompaniment rather than mere online visibility.
Endorsed in introductory messages by Father Biju Michael, Salesian General Councillor for the South Asia Region, Father Ashley Miranda, Provincial of Mumbai and Salesian Provincial Conference of South Asia Provincial in charge of Social Communication, and Father Bastin Nellissery, Delegate for BOSCOM South Asia.
The manual establishes a shared standard of digital conduct across 12 Salesian provinces of South Asia. Its core premise is unambiguous: a Salesian’s online identity cannot be separated from his consecrated vocation, and every post carries both personal and institutional weight.
Drawing on the Vatican Dicastery for Communication’s 2023 reflection Towards Full Presence, Pope Francis’s 2014 World Communications Day message, and the Salesian Constitutions and Regulations, the text structures its guidance across four clear pillars.
First, foundational principles shift the focus from one-way tele-evangelism to genuine digital encounter, dialogue, and catechesis, while urging prudence on political or polarizing subjects so as not to compromise ecclesial communion.
Second, Salesian identity online translates the three evangelical counsels into the virtual sphere through digital poverty by rejecting self-branding, luxury displays, and unauthorized monetization; digital chastity by upholding strict boundaries and purity of heart; and digital obedience by maintaining fidelity to Church teaching and community unity, alongside mindful stewardship of time.
Third, content discernment introduces a practical pre-posting checklist adapted from the Socratic Triple Filter asking whether content is true, good, and useful, capped by a distinctly Salesian litmus test asking whether Don Bosco would be happy to see his name under what is posted while setting clear norms for official institutional accounts, crisis communication, and the permanence of digital footprints.
Fourth, safeguarding and scandal prevention lay down concrete protocols to protect minors, vulnerable persons, and institutional credibility.
The manual stands out in the Indian Catholic context for its sharp, uncompromising focus on safeguarding and accountability.
Its guidelines prohibit storing photos of minors on personal phones, require explicit parental consent for institutional media, and ban private messaging with minors on platforms like WhatsApp or Instagram.
Additionally, the rules mandate dual-adult administration for official social media accounts, require two Salesians—including the rector—to hold access to CCTV networks, and call for transparent tagging whenever artificial intelligence is used to generate or modify images.
As a compact vademecum, the document succeeds precisely because it avoids dense academic jargon in favour of clarity, pastoral warmth, and enforceable norms.
While lay collaborators and educators working within Salesian institutions may occasionally find the framing tailored primarily to vowed religious, the underlying principles of ethical communication, child protection, and digital discernment speak directly to the entire educative community.
Ultimately, the manual offers a vital blueprint for Church institutions across India, reminding religious and educators alike that credibility online begins with integrity offline.