By Peter J. Smith
VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI spoke to an assembly of participants involved in media and social communications at the Vatican commending and encouraging them for “your commitment to the apostolate of social communications, the importance of which cannot be underestimated in our increasingly technological world.”
The Pope addressed the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in English noting the “fast-changing” nature of the field of social communications, the decline of the print media, and the ascendant rise of the electronic media in radio, television, and through the internet.
The Holy Father expressed the view that “much of great benefit to civilization is contributed by the various components of the mass media,” mentioning the good from “quality documentaries and news services, wholesome entertainment, and thought-provoking debates and interviews.” Internet too, he stated, “has opened up a world of knowledge and learning that previously for many could only be accessed with difficulty, if at all.”
“On the other hand, it is also readily apparent that much of what is transmitted in various forms to the homes of millions of families around the world is destructive.” For her part, the Church, “by directing the light of Christ’s truth upon such shadows, … engenders hope.”
“We all recognise that ‘beauty, a kind of mirror of the divine, inspires and vivifies young hearts and minds, while ugliness and coarseness have a depressing impact on attitudes and behaviour’” said the Holy Father. The Holy Father said his concerns about the powerful influence of media on young people were no different from “a mother or father, teacher, or responsible citizen.”
“The responsibility to introduce and educate children and young people into the ways of beauty, truth and goodness is,” he said, “a grave one. It can be supported by media conglomerates only to the extent that they promote fundamental human dignity, the true value of marriage and family life, and the positive achievements and goals of humanity.
“I appeal again to the leaders of the media industry to advise producers to safeguard the common good, to uphold the truth, to protect individual human dignity and promote respect for the needs of the family.”
(with files from the Vatican Information Services)
To read Pope Benedict’s Speech:
https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2007/march/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20070309_social-communications_en.html