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Pope, Catholic media workers strategize on how to best use new media By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Taking advantage of new media to spread the Gospel, the Catholic Church also has an obligation to point out areas where the media has a harmful effect, especially on children, Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope called on media operators "to safeguard the common good, to uphold the truth, to protect individual human dignity and promote respect for the needs of the family." Meeting March 9 with members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Pope Benedict spoke of the benefits of greater access to quality entertainment, information and educational opportunities through the media. But he also expressed concern about the "increasing concentration" of the media in the hands of a few multinational conglomerates and said that "much of what is transmitted in various forms to the homes of millions of families around the world is destructive." Strategies for using new technology to communicate the Gospel message and for counteracting the negative impact of the media dominated the council's March 5-9 meeting at the Vatican. U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, council president, told members that the church must fulfill its responsibility to share with all people "the message of their origin in God, their destiny with him in heaven and their redemption in Jesus Christ." The problem, he said, is that the message of salvation "must compete with thousands of other messages -- messages that perhaps appear immediately more appealing or more tempting." U.S. Sister Judith Zoebelein, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist who works in the Vatican's Internet office, said the church must expand its presence on the Internet. But it must do so in a way that helps lead people from a "virtual" experience of faith and community to a personal encounter with the Lord and participation in a parish, she said. The Vatican's Web site has helped people who were already part of a real community connect in a virtual community with the Vatican, accessing documents and even sending e-mail greetings to the pope, she said. The next step must be using the Internet to reach those who are not part of any concrete community, she said. In an attempt to ensure that an Internet search of things Catholic leads to finding a real experience of the church, Sister Zoebelein said, the Vatican's Internet office is running a trial e-learning site. "Perhaps the biggest reason for choosing e-learning is that young adults today live and learn on the Internet more than any other particular place," she told the council. The topic chosen for the first course was the meaning of suffering, using Pope John Paul II's 1984 apostolic letter along with "photos, music, images, questions and additional reflections," she said. But unlike most Internet courses, the Vatican proposal includes regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings of participants. "The anonymity of the Internet must at some point lead to the desire and opportunity for an actual human encounter," Sister Zoebelein said. The hope, she said, is to use the "virtual" community created through the Internet "to nourish the actual community" and a desire to participate in parish life. Irish Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said diocesan newspapers and contact with religion reporters from secular newspapers continue to be important ways for the church to get its message out and "on the public record." But because newspaper readership is shrinking, he suggested the church invest in professionally organized focus groups to study how much of the church's message is being heard and by whom. Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco told the council that "one size does not fit all" when communicating in the modern world; the church needs specific projects aimed at the young, the elderly, active Catholics, the alienated and those who are indifferent. And, he said, the council should act as a clearinghouse for the best church communications practices. Bishops from Africa, Asia and Latin America urged the council not to assume their people have the same kind of media access that people in Europe and North America have. Radio is hugely important in Africa; the Internet is dominating the media scene in much of Asia; and Latin America still has a stable television audience. Tony Spence, director and editor in chief of Catholic News Service, also encouraged the council to support research on what is being done and what is working. He told the council that a recent survey demonstrated that adult Catholics in the United States have access to Catholic media and use it on a regular basis, although there is much room for improvement. And while the Internet "gives new opportunities for a tried-and-true medium such as print to reach new audiences," it is not without its problems, particularly because "good scholarship and good journalism can be eclipsed by punditry and misinformation disguised as an authentic voice in the church." Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office and Vatican television center, outlined several communications priorities, including efforts "to make the pope's thoughts and the position of the church known in the Muslim and Arab-speaking world." He also suggested the Vatican form a small group of consultants to help it evaluate the mountain of requests it receives from media outlets wanting to interview Pope Benedict XVI. "The interviews given so far by the Holy Father have been very effective," he said, and Vatican Radio, the television production center and the press office have ensured they were widely distributed in many languages. Let's Not Be Naysayers, Says Archbishop Foley Urges Use of Media to Proclaim "Good News" Stories VATICAN CITY, MARCH 5, 2007 (Zenit.org While opening the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications today, the dicastery's president, Archbishop John Foley, proposed a look at how well the Church is getting its message across. "We have all sinned, not just as all men and women sin, but also in the field of communications -- especially through sins of omission but also through sins of commission," the archbishop said in his homily at the opening Mass of the plenary assembly. "We have been guilty of sins or at least faults of omission by not using the 'mirifica' -- the wonderful things which God has made it possible for human beings to discover -- to communicate in the best possible way his love and goodness to the world," the Vatican official said. Archbishop Foley continued: "Those who seek to sell products have used the communications media very successfully to sell soap and automobiles and clothing and vacation experiences, while we -- who have the responsibility to proclaim the most important message in the history of the human race -- have often lacked the imagination and the dedication to use the media well in making known the good news of Jesus Christ and the good news for all men and women about his love and about our destiny. "We have also sometimes been guilty of sins or at least faults of commission in resorting more often to condemnation than to commendation in our use of the media." Reflecting Christ The 71-year-old archbishop added: "Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has justly counseled us not to be seen as always saying 'no', but to reflect -- and to be seen to reflect -- in our use of the media the love, the mercy and the compassion of Jesus Christ." Quoting the Gospel of the day's liturgy, the prelate voiced Jesus' words: "Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you shall be pardoned. Give, and it shall be given to you. "Certainly it is necessary to identify the evils in society and to warn people against them, but our major effort should be in proclaiming the knowledge and love of our merciful savior, Jesus Christ, and the good which is done in the world in his name. "How many 'good news' stories there are which are never reported -- often because we do not make them known!" The archbishop reflected that almost "everybody already knows that the Catholic Church -- reflecting the teaching of Christ -- does not approve of sexual activity outside of marriage, whether that activity be heterosexual or homosexual -- but how many know about the many residences and services for pregnant and unmarried women, for children without parents or for victims of AIDS provided by the Church throughout the world in the name of Christ?" "Use the communications media to make known the message of our merciful and loving Savior," he urged, "but may we also be perceived as being loving and merciful, following his example and indeed his mandate." 
Message of the Holy Father for the 40th 40th World Communications Day Dear Brothers and Sisters 1. In the wake of the fortieth-anniversary of the closing of the Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council, I am happy to recall its Decree on the Means of
Social Communication, Inter Mirifica, which in particular recognized the
power of the media to influence the whole of human society. The need to
harness that power for the benefit of all mankind has prompted me, in this
my first message for World Communications Day, to reflect briefly on the
idea of the media as a network facilitating communication, communion, and
cooperation.
39th World Communications Day Dear Brothers and Sisters 1. We read in the Letter of Saint James, "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so" (Jas 3:10). The Sacred Scriptures remind us that words have an extraordinary power to bring people together or to divide them, to forge bonds of friendship or to provoke hostility. Not only is this true of words spoken by one person to another: it applies equally to communication taking place at any level. Modern technology places at our disposal unprecedented possibilities for good, for spreading the truth of our salvation in Jesus Christ and for fostering harmony and reconciliation. Yet its misuse can do untold harm, giving rise to misunderstanding, prejudice and even conflict. The theme chosen for the 2005 World Communications Day - "The Communications Media: At the Service of Understanding Among Peoples" - addresses an urgent need: to promote the unity of the human family through the use made of these great resources. 2. One important way of achieving this end is through education. The media can teach billions of people about other parts of the world and other cultures. With good reason they have been called "the first Areopagus of the modern age . . . for many the chief means of information and education, of guidance and inspiration in their behaviour as individuals, families, and within society at large" (Redemptoris Missio, 37). Accurate knowledge promotes understanding, dispels prejudice, and awakens the desire to learn more. Images especially have the power to convey lasting impressions and to shape attitudes. They teach people how to regard members of other groups and nations, subtly influencing whether they are considered as friends or enemies, allies or potential adversaries. When others are portrayed in hostile terms, seeds of conflict are sown which can all too easily escalate into violence, war, or even genocide. Instead of building unity and understanding, the media can be used to demonize other social, ethnic and religious groups, fomenting fear and hatred. Those responsible for the style and content of what is communicated have a grave duty to ensure that this does not happen. Indeed, the media have enormous potential for promoting peace and building bridges between peoples, breaking the fatal cycle of violence, reprisal, and fresh violence that is so widespread today. In the words of Saint Paul, which formed the basis of this year’s Message for the World Day of Peace: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). 3. If such a contribution to peace-making is one of the significant ways the media can bring people together, its influence in favour of the swift mobilization of aid in response to natural disasters is another. It was heartening to see how quickly the international community responded to the recent tsunami that claimed countless victims. The speed with which news travels today naturally increases the possibility for timely practical measures designed to offer maximum assistance. In this way the media can achieve an immense amount of good. 4. The Second Vatican Council reminded us: "If the media are to be correctly employed, it is essential that all who use them know the principles of the moral order and apply them faithfully" (Inter Mirifica, 4). The fundamental ethical principle is this: "The human person and the human community are the end and measure of the use of the media of social communication; communication should be by persons to persons for the integral development of persons" (Ethics in Communications, 21). In the first place, then, the communicators themselves need to put into practice in their own lives the values and attitudes they are called to instil in others. Above all, this must include a genuine commitment to the common good - a good that is not confined by the narrow interests of a particular group or nation but embraces the needs and interests of all, the good of the entire human family (cf. Pacem in Terris, 132). Communicators have the opportunity to promote a true culture of life by distancing themselves from today’s conspiracy against life (cf. Evangelium Vitae, 17) and conveying the truth about the value and dignity of every human person. 5. The model and pattern of all communication is found in the Word of God himself. "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1:1). The Incarnate Word has established a new covenant between God and his people - a covenant which also joins us in community with one another. "For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph 2:14). My prayer on this year’s World Communications Day is that the men and women of the media will play their part in breaking down the dividing walls of hostility in our world, walls that separate peoples and nations from one another, feeding misunderstanding and mistrust. May they use the resources at their disposal to strengthen the bonds of friendship and love that clearly signal the onset of the Kingdom of God here on earth. From the Vatican, 24 January 2005, the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales Message of the Holy Father for the 38th World Communications Day 38th World Communications Day Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. The extraordinary growth of the communications media and their increased availability has brought exceptional opportunities for enriching the lives not only of individuals, but also of families. At the same time, families today face new challenges arising from the varied and often contradictory messages presented by the mass media. The theme chosen for the 2004 World Communications Day - "The Media and the Family: A Risk and a Richness" - is a timely one, for it invites sober reflection on the use which families make of the media and, in turn, on the way that families and family concerns are treated by the media. This year’s theme is also a reminder to everyone, both communicators and those whom they address, that all communication has a moral dimension. As the Lord himself has said, it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (cf. Mt 12:34-35). People grow or diminish in moral stature by the words which they speak and the messages which they choose to hear. Consequently, wisdom and discernment in the use of the media are particularly called for on the part of communications professionals, parents and educators, for their decisions greatly affect children and young people for whom they are responsible, and who are ultimately the future of society. 2. Thanks to the unprecedented expansion of the communications market in recent decades, many families throughout the world, even those of quite modest means, now have access in their own homes to immense and varied media resources. As a result, they enjoy virtually unlimited opportunities for information, education, cultural expansion, and even spiritual growth - opportunities that far exceed those available to most families in earlier times. Yet these same media also have the capacity to do grave harm to families by presenting an inadequate or even deformed outlook on life, on the family, on religion and on morality. This power either to reinforce or override traditional values like religion, culture, and family was clearly seen by the Second Vatican Council, which taught that "if the media are to be correctly employed, it is essential that all who use them know the principles of the moral order and apply them faithfully" (Inter Mirifica, 4). Communication in any form must always be inspired by the ethical criterion of respect for the truth and for the dignity of the human person. 3. These considerations apply in particular to th e treatment of the family in the media. On the one hand, marriage and family life are frequently depicted in a sensitive manner, realistic but also sympathetic, that celebrates virtues like love, fidelity, forgiveness, and generous self-giving for others. This is true also of media presentations which recognize the failures and disappointments inevitably experienced by married couples and families - tensions, conflicts, setbacks, evil choices and hurtful deeds - yet at the same time make an effort to separate right from wrong, to distinguish true love from its counterfeits, and to show the irreplaceable importance of the family as the fundamental unit of society. On the other hand, the family and family life are all too often inadequately portrayed in the media. Infidelity, sexual activity outside of marriage, and the absence of a moral and spiritual vision of the marriage covenant are depicted uncritically, while positive support is at times given to divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexuality. Such portrayals, by promoting causes inimical to marriage and the family, are detrimental to the common good of society. 4. Conscientious reflection on the ethical dimension of communications should issue in practical initiatives aimed at eliminating the risks to the well-being of the family posed by the media and ensuring that these powerful instruments of communication will remain genuine sources of enrichment. A special responsibility in this regard lies with communicators themselves, with public authorities, and with parents. Pope Paul VI pointed out that professional communicators should "know and respect the needs of the family, and this sometimes presupposes in them true courage, and always a high sense of responsibility" (Message for the 1969 World Communications Day ). It is not so easy to resist commercial pressures or the demands of conformity to secular ideologies, but that is what responsible communicators must do. The stakes are high, since every attack on the fundamental value of the family is an attack on the true good of humanity. Public authorities themselves have a serious duty to uphold marriage and the family for the sake of society itself. Instead, many now accept and act upon the unsound libertarian arguments of groups which advocate practices which contribute to the grave phenomenon of family crisis and the weakening of the very concept of the family. Without resorting to censorship, it is imperative that public authorities set in place regulatory policies and procedures to ensure that the media do not act against the good of the family. Family representatives should be part of this policy-making. Policy-makers in the media and in the public sector also must work for an equitable distribution of media resources on the national and international levels, while respecting the integrity of traditional cultures. The media should not appear to have an agenda hostile to the sound family values of traditional cultures or the goal of replacing those values, as part of a process of globalization, with the secularized values of consumer society. 5. Parents, as the primary and most important educators of their children, are also the first to teach them about the media. They are called to train their offspring in the "moderate, critical, watchful and prudent use of the media" in the home (Familiaris Consortio, 76). When parents do that consistently and well, family life is greatly enriched. Even very young children can be taught important lessons about the media: that they are produced by people anxious to communicate messages; that these are often messages to do something - to buy a product, to engage in dubious behaviour - that is not in the child’s best interests or in accord with moral truth; that children should not uncritically accept or imitate what they find in the media. Parents also need to regulate the use of media in the home. This would include planning and scheduling media use, strictly limiting the time children devote to media, making entertainment a family experience, putting some media entirely off limits and periodically excluding all of them for the sake of other family activities. Above all, parents should give good example to children by their own thoughtful and selective use of media. Often they will find it helpful to join with other families to study and discuss the problems and opportunities presented by the use of the media. Families should be outspoken in telling producers, advertisers, and public authorities what they like and dislike. 6. The media of social communications have an enormous positive potential for promoting sound human and family values and thus contributing to the renewal of society. In view of their great power to shape ideas and influence behaviour, professional communicators should recognize that they have a moral responsibility not only to give families all possible encouragement, assistance, and support to that end, but also to exercise wisdom, good judgement and fairness in their presentation of issues involving sexuality, marriage and family life. The media are welcomed daily as a familiar guest in many homes and families. On this World Communications Day I encourage professional communicators and families alike to acknowledge this unique privilege and the accountability which it entails. May all engaged in the field of communications recognize that they are truly "stewards and administrators of an immense spiritual power that belongs to the patrimony of mankind and is meant to enrich the whole of the human community" (Address to Communications Specialists, Los Angeles, 15 September 1987, 8). And may families always be able to find in the media a source of support, encouragement and inspiration as they strive to live as a community of life and love, to train young people in sound moral values, and to advance a culture of solidarity, freedom and peace. From the Vatican, 24 January 2004, the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales |
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