The message of the Holy Father John Paul II for the 39^th World Communication Day:
The Communications Media: at the Service of Understanding among Peoples:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1.  We read in the Letter of St. 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 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 he 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 demonise 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 an 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 pieces of news travel 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 made 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. 

 John Paul II

It is 39 years now since the ecumenical Council instituted the World Day of CS (Inter mirifica,18), and the Pope, every year, addresses  a message on social communications to the church in the world and to all men of good will. It is a matter of a central aspect of today's world (cfr CEI, Directory on the CS in the mission of the Church, Communication and mission, chapter 1^st). Having renewed her service to man and her presence in history (Gaudium et spes, No.1), on the occasion of Vatican II, the Church could not keep herself aloof from this enormous social phenomenon (cfr G. Nissim, Chiesa e media, in Internet, March 2001).

The messages of the Popes ( so far: Paul VI from 1967 and John Paul II from 1979) constitute a summola of doctrine and the mind  of the Church about the social communications: they are fresh, actual, immediate texts, rich of inspirations for the Catholic communicators, of encouragement and warnings for those who are responsible to manage the means of social communication. It will be useful to go through them again, as well as through the official documents, such as the apostolic letters or the pastoral instructions of the Pontifical Council of the CS (cfr F. J. Eilers and R. Giannatelli, Chiesa e comunicazione sociale. I documenti fondamentali, Elledici, Leumann-Torino 1996).

The Pope's message for the 39^th World Day of SC (this year will be celebrated on 8^th May), The means of social communication at the service of the understanding of peoples, is characterised by the following elements:

It is at the centre of the drama which we can see: war and the misunderstandings among the peoples, and asks itself: Do the media contribute to the unity or to the division of peoples? The words man utters every day, as well as the media, have this extraordinary power: to unite or to divide. The specific vocation of the media is that of being at the service of the communion of peoples (cfr Communio et progressio, 1971).  However, wounded by man's sin, the media often nourish misunderstanding and hatred.

As always, the Church encourages the media professionals to put themselves at the service of justice and peace. "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 mobilisation 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 pieces of news travel 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" (No.3)

The media ought to obey the ethical principles, which should constantly inspire the actions of the professionals, to be authentically at the service of man. "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 moral principle is the integral good of the person and of the human community. "The person and the human community are the end and the measure of the use of the media of Social Communications. The communication should be made by persons to persons for the integral development of the persons" (OCCS, Ethics in Communications, n.21). Above all, this must include a genuine commitment to the common good of peace (Pacem in terris, 132) and of the culture of life (Evangelium vitae, 17), conveying the truth about the value and dignity of every human person" (No.4).

On the coming 8^th May, the prayer of the ecclesial community will ask that "the men and women of the media may 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,. that they may 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" (No. 5).

When the Christians pray, they commit themselves "to build bridges between the peoples (2.), following the teaching of St. Paul, "Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good"(12,21).

The text and the context

To read a text in the context is a fundamental hermeneutic rule. It is meaningful the fact that  on the same day (24^th January 2005, feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of the journalists), the Pope has signed both this message and the new apostolic letter The rapid development, addressed to those responsible for the social communications. Whatever is rapidly mentioned in the message, is taken back and deepened into the apostolic letter. This makes an explicit reference to the theme of the message "The Mass Media can and must promote justice and solidarity, according to an organic and correct vision of human development, by reporting events accurately and truthfully, analysing situations and problems completely, and providing a forum for different opinions. An authentically ethical approach to using the powerful communication media must be situated within the context of a mature exercise of freedom and responsibility, founded upon the supreme criteria of truth and justice (No.3 ).

A new element of the letter, when compared to the message, concerns the means which must be adopted so that the aims may be attained. Three of them are mentioned particularly:

Education and formation, "to assure that mass media be known and used intelligently and appropriately …. Without proper formation, these mass media run the risk of manipulating and heavily conditioning, rather than serving people. This is especially true for young people … who are in even greater need of education in the responsible and critical use of media." (No.11). I have been trying to promote  the cause of media education in Italy for the pas fifteen years. To this end, I have founded the Association MED - Media Education- (cfr www.medmediaeducation-it). The education to the media, with all the extent of its potentiality and creativity, ought to be the flower of the Catholic Schools and the new way of practising the animation of the oratories. The two summer schools organised by MED at Corvara for the coming summer (9-17 July and 27^th August- 3^rd September) have the purpose of forming the media educators, the animators of the ecclesial communication in the light of Chapter 6 of the directory,  Communication and mission,  (consult the web site of MED for the programmes of the courses).

 Responsible participation

Because of their very nature, the media do not make themselves. They require collaboration and corresponsibility. The Catholic media, too, obey this exigency. Using media in schools and parishes is a splendid occasion to practise group work, to evaluate different charisms, to converge towards shared finalities. The principle of social communication is true also in the civil field. The letter of the Pope reminds it, "If the communications media are a good destined for all humanity, then ever-new means must be found - including recourse to opportune legislative measures, to make possible a true participation in their management. The culture of co-responsibility must be nurtured" (No.11). I remember that an objective of the media education is just the exercise of citizenship on behalf of the user before the pervasive nature and power of the media.

The dialogue. The media, as already mentioned, have a considerable "possibility in promoting dialogue, becoming vehicles for reciprocal knowledge of solidarity and peace. They become a powerful resource for good, if used to foster understanding among peoples; a destructive "weapon", if used to foster injustice and conflicts. My venerable predecessor, Blessed John XXIII, already prophetically warned humanity of such potential risks in the Encyclical Pacem in terris" (No.11).

Finally, the apostolic letter signals another condition for the participation of the people in the management of the common good derived from the social communication: The public opinion. Pius the XII requested it also in the life of the Church with an expression which would surprise us, " … Something would be missing from the life of the Church were it not for the public opinion" (No.12). The formative work of the Church, in the field of social communication, should throw its focus on maturity in the exercise of responsibility on behalf of adult Christians. The Code of Canon Right itself,  on given conditions, recognises the proper expression of one's own opinion,  "While it is true that the truths of the faith are not open to arbitrary interpretations, and that respect for the rights of others places intrinsic limits upon the expression of one's judgement, it is no less true that there is still room among Catholics for an exchange of opinions in a dialogue which is respectful of justice and prudence.  Communication both within the Church community, and between the Church and the world at large, requires openness  …. This communication must tend towards a constructive dialogue, so as to promote a correctly-informed and discerning public opinion within the Christian community" (No. 12).

When we shall present the message of the 39^th World Communications Day, in the community and in the apostolate, let us remember that it places us in the heart of the world. In fact the media " are the admission ticket, for each man and woman, to enter the market-square where thoughts are publicly expressed,  where we can exchange ideas, we can circulate news, we can transmit and receive information of every kind" (John Paul II, Message for 26^th World Say of Social Communication, 1992). We are called to be witnesses and protagonists just in this modern square.