40th World Social Communications Day
Sunday, May 28th, 2006MESSAGE OF THE HOLY
FATHER BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 40th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
"The Media: A Network for Communication,
Communion and Cooperation"
(Ascension Sunday, 28 May 2006)
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.
Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, vividly depicts our human vocation
to be "sharers in the divine nature" (Dei Verbum, 2): through Christ we
have access in one Spirit to the Father; so we are no longer strangers and
aliens but citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, growing
into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God (cf. Eph 2:18-22). This
sublime portrayal of a life of communion engages all aspects of our lives as
Christians. The call to be true to the self-communication of God in Christ is in
fact a call to recognize his dynamic force within us, which then seeks to spread
outwards to others, so that his love can truly become the prevalent measure of
the world (cf.
Homily for World Youth Day, Cologne, 21 August 2005).
2. Technological advances in the media have in certain respects conquered time
and space, making communication between people, even when separated by vast
distances, both instantaneous and direct. This development presents an enormous
potential for service of the common good and "constitutes a patrimony to
safeguard and promote" (Rapid Development, 10). Yet, as we all know, our
world is far from perfect. Daily we are reminded that immediacy of communication
does not necessarily translate into the building of cooperation and communion in
society.
To inform the consciences of individuals and help shape their thinking is never
a neutral task. Authentic communication demands principled courage and resolve.
It requires a determination of those working in the media not to wilt under the
weight of so much information nor even to be content with partial or provisional
truths. Instead it necessitates both seeking and transmitting what is the
ultimate foundation and meaning of human, personal and social existence (cf.
Fides et Ratio, 5). In this way the media can contribute constructively to
the propagation of all that is good and true.
3. The call for today’s media to be responsible - to be the protagonist of truth
and promoter of the peace that ensues - carries with it a number of challenges.
While the various instruments of social communication facilitate the exchange of
information, ideas, and mutual understanding among groups, they are also tainted
by ambiguity. Alongside the provision of a "great round table" for dialogue,
certain tendencies within the media engender a kind of monoculture that dims
creative genius, deflates the subtlety of complex thought and undervalues the
specificity of cultural practices and the particularity of religious belief.
These are distortions that occur when the media industry becomes self-serving or
solely profit-driven, losing the sense of accountability to the common good.
Accurate reporting of events, full explanation of matters of public concern, and
fair representation of diverse points of view must, then, always be fostered.
The need to uphold and support marriage and family life is of particular
importance, precisely because it pertains to the foundation of every culture and
society (cf.
Apostolicam Actuositatem, 11). In cooperation with parents,
the social communications and entertainment industries can assist in the
difficult but sublimely satisfying vocation of bringing up children, through
presenting edifying models of human life and love (cf.
Inter Mirifica,
11). How disheartening and destructive it is to us all when the opposite occurs.
Do not our hearts cry out, most especially, when our young people are subjected
to debased or false expressions of love which ridicule the God-given dignity of
every human person and undermine family interests?
4. To encourage both a constructive presence and a positive perception of the
media in society, I wish to reiterate the importance of three steps, identified
by my venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II, necessary for their service of
the common good: formation, participation, and dialogue (cf.
Rapid
Development, 11).
Formation in the responsible and critical use of the media helps people to use
them intelligently and appropriately. The profound impact upon the mind of new
vocabulary and of images, which the electronic media in particular so easily
introduce into society, cannot be overestimated. Precisely because contemporary
media shape popular culture, they themselves must overcome any temptation to
manipulate, especially the young, and instead pursue the desire to form and
serve. In this way they protect rather than erode the fabric of a civil society
worthy of the human person.
Participation in the mass media arises from their nature as a good destined for
all people. As a public service, social communication requires a spirit of
cooperation and co-responsibility with vigorous accountability of the use of
public resources and the performance of roles of public trust (cf.
Ethics in Communications, 20), including recourse to regulatory standards and other
measures or structures designed to effect this goal.
Finally, the promotion of dialogue through the exchange of learning, the
expression of solidarity and the espousal of peace presents a great opportunity
for the mass media which must be recognized and exercised. In this way they
become influential and appreciated resources for building the civilization of
love for which all peoples yearn.
I am confident that serious efforts to promote these three steps will assist the
media to develop soundly as a network of communication, communion and
cooperation, helping men, women and children, to become more aware of the
dignity of the human person, more responsible, and more open to others
especially the neediest and the weakest members of society (cf.
Redemptor
Hominis, 15;
Ethics in Communications, 4).
In conclusion, I return to the encouraging words of Saint Paul: Christ is our
peace. In him we are one (cf. Eph 2:14). Let us together break down the
dividing walls of hostility and build up the communion of love according to the
designs of the Creator made known through his Son!
