En gang for lenge siden hadde presteskapet nesten monopol på forkynnelse, katekese, trosformidling, katolsk undervisning osv. I den sjette av sine mega-trender skriver John Allen videre om dette punktet:
That monopoly has been eroded over the centuries by the invention of the printing press, the rise of a free press in the West, the emergence of theologically sophisticated laity, the spread of independent broadcast outlets, and a host of other factors. Today, anyone who can find their way to a Starbucks with a laptop can be their own publisher. The blogosphere is full of Catholic offerings. … The Catholic conversation is a wide-open marketplace, and if bishops want to make themselves heard, it has to be by dint of their message rather than their office.