In fact, after the negotiations were interrupted, NATO intensified its attacks, bombing radio and television booster stations in central Serbia, in addition to targets in Kosovo. After three days of silence, the sirens were heard once again in Belgrade. This writing is intended to answer the questions inherent in consecrated life in the Third Millennium, particularly as regards technological advances. The first chapter of the document is dedicated to the meaning and value of the cloistered life. In principle, the Vatican Congregation recommends that the separation from the world be a concrete experience, as opposed to merely symbolic.
Special attention is given to relations with the media and new technology.
The sober and prudent use of television, both in regard to the quality as well as the quantity of programs, is recommended. There is a reminder that for those who live in interior silence, a picture or news item can have far greater emotional impact and, consequently, make recollection that much more difficult. After careful discernment, permission is granted to use the fax, mobile phones and the Internet for the convent's activities. The third part of the document focuses on formation, emphasizing the importance that this be carried out in the community to which the religious belongs. The last pages mention associations and federations of convents, which provide support in promoting the values of contemplative life, while not affecting the autonomy of each convent.