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Skriven 2006-01-24 09:01:54 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

THE MEDIA: A NETWORK FOR COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION

VATICAN CITY, JAN 24, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today, Feast of St. Francis de
Sales, patron saint of journalists, was Benedict XVI's first Message for the
World Day of Social Communications, which this year is due to be celebrated on
May 28, on the theme: "The Media: A Network for Communication, Communion and
Cooperation."

The Holy Father's Message has been published in Italian, English, French,
German, Spanish and Portuguese. Extracts from the English language version are
given below:

"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. Yet, ... 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.
In this way the media can contribute constructively to the propagation of all
that is good and true.

"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. ... 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. 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."

"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 the service of the
common good: formation, participation, and dialogue.

"Formation in the responsible and critical use of the media helps people to use
them intelligently and appropriately. ... 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, 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."

In conclusion, the Pope recalls the "encouraging words of St. Paul: 'Christ is
our peace. In Him we are one.' 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!"
MESS/WORLD DAY COMMUNICATIONS/... VIS 060124 (770)

SUMMARY

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