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Skriven 2006-09-28 12:31:08 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

PRESENTATION OF WORLD CONGRESS OF CATHOLIC TELEVISION

VATICAN CITY, SEP 26, 2006 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, a
conference was held to present the World Congress of Catholic Television, due
to be held in Madrid, Spain, from October 10 to 12, on the theme: "Rapid
Development." Participating in today's conference were: Archbishop John P.
Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; Fr.
Federico Lombardi S.J., director the Vatican Television Center (CTV) and
speaker at the forthcoming congress; Fr. Jose Maria Gil, executive secretary of
the Spanish Episcopal Conference; and Leticia Soberon of the international
organizational committee for the congress.

Archbishop Foley affirmed that the aim of the congress is "to reflect upon the
nature of television, study the opportunities it offers the Church, and
evaluate the possibilities of combining these initiatives, bringing them
together in the most effective way."

For organizational reasons, said the archbishop, the number of participants in
the congress has been limited to 250. They represent the television sector,
Catholic production companies, episcopal commissions of social communication
and communications faculties of universities in various countries.

Apart from reflecting on themes associated with "the identity of Catholic
television," the forthcoming congress will also have to consider, said the
president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, "practical
matters such as the economic and administrative aspects of the television
industry, the professional expertise of staff, the quality and variety of
program formats, the quality of information, the possibilities offered by
technological changes, etc."

For his part, Fr. Lombardi affirmed that "Catholic television stations in the
world - the majority of which are in Europe and America - are highly
variegated. ... There are TV stations created and maintained by episcopal
conferences or large dioceses (SAT2000 in Italy, Popular TV in Spain, KTO in
France, etc.); and there are TV stations that have arisen from initiatives of
religious movements or organizations, or of single individuals (EWTN in U.S.A.,
Cancao Nova in Brazil, etc.)."

Apart from the television stations themselves, Fr. Lombardi highlighted the
presence of "many production centers of Catholic-inspired television programs"
that offer their services in regions or nations where Catholic television
cannot exist, and of "institutions capable of providing financial support to
ecclesial initiatives."

With reference to CTV, of which he is the director, Fr. Lombardi indicated that
one of its aims is "to serve Catholic TV stations, which are practically all
interested in images and information on the activity of the Holy Father and the
Vatican; however not all of them are currently informed about CTV's services,
and not all have the technological possibilities to take advantage of them."

"We in the Church," Fr. Lombardi concluded, "always wish to put communication
at the service of communion, that is, of reciprocal understanding, of dialogue
and of peace. We do so at various levels: a more specifically local level,
another that covers a larger area - regional or national - and yet another that
is universal (that of the Pope's service for the unity of the Church). These
levels must come together, complementing one another, because each has its own
specific competencies, experience and richness."

Fr. Jose Maria Gil expressed his appreciation to the Holy See for having chosen
Madrid as the location for the congress, and extended his thanks to Letizia
Ortiz, Princess of Asturias, who will be president of honor, "the which," he
said "demonstrates the interest of civil society in this important ecclesial
event."

Fr. Gil went on to confirm that the event will be attended by "around 250
participants" from some 50 countries on all continents, especially Latin
America. "They will reflect upon the great aims of the congress," he said,
"which will also be open to any Internet users who may wish to participate
through the website: www.worldcongresstv.com.

There will, Fr. Gil continued, "be representatives from all sectors involved in
the audiovisual field: large telecommunications operatives (Telefonica,
Hispasat); big networks (EWTN, Cancao Nova, TV Seculo 21, ESNE-El Sembrador);
diocesan and private Catholic TV stations, from the strictly religious and
devotional to the more generally Christian-inspired; religious programs from
public television; ... university faculties of social communication (the
Pontifical Salesian University, the Pontifical Universities of the Holy Cross,
and of Chile, Colombia and Argentina, the University of Navarra, of Murcia,
etc.); journalists; ... technicians; ... business people; ... Catholic
communication associations (SIGNIS); as well as communication commissions and
departments from episcopal conferences (Germany, Italy, Portugal, Mali,
Croatia, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, etc.) and from dioceses.

"Particular mention must be made," he added, "of the eagerly-awaited
contribution of Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. on the service provided by the
Vatican Television Center, a true point of reference for Catholic television
all over the world."

For her part, Leticia Soberon, expressed the hope that the congress may be "a
starting point for the creation of a united and energetic network among
Catholic organizations active in the field of television."

"One of the most eagerly-anticipated aspects," she said, "is the 'program bank'
which will facilitate the free exchange of TV programs between the various
institutions. This project came into being following the concern felt by the
larger television stations for the smaller and poorer ones, and with the aim of
sharing productions of universal value. This initial move provoked a
spontaneous desire, also on the part of the smaller operators, to share their
own productions. This generosity on everyone's part has been clear since
Medellin, at the Latin American Congress of Catholic TV, but it also involves
may other institutions all over the world."
OP/CATHOLIC TELEVISION/... VIS 060926 (930)

SUMMARY

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