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News Stories
Social Communications President Notes Media Vocation
TORONTO, MAY 29, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The vocation of the Catholic communicator consists in offering answers to the search for God, affirmed the Vatican official in charge of the social communications council.
Archbishop Claudi Celli affirmed this at the 2008 Catholic Media Convention taking place in Toronto, Canada, through Friday, on the theme "Proclaim It From the Rooftops."
The conference has gathered some 500 members of the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals -- professionals in the fields of Catholic print and audiovisual communications, as well as Catholic communications and public relations directors -- for the purpose of spiritual, economic and professional development.
"I am convinced that within the human heart there is a deep yearning for God -- something I like to call a 'nostalgia for God,'" he said to the participants at the conference. "This feeling is most immediately felt when the human subject confronts the reality of his or her own solitude.
"It is in moments of solitude that the individual is unable to avoid a consideration of the ultimate questions concerning life and death and the point and purpose of his or her personal existence. It is perhaps for this very reason that so many humans seek to avoid such moments of solitude and are tempted to lose themselves in the world of constant communications and perpetual 'busy-ness.'"
Solitude
Archbishop Celli said the questioning that arises in the depths of solitude is "a question about the very essence of their own existence. In the final analysis, the individual is confronting a question that is not merely the product of his or her own reflection but one that issues from beyond the existence of any one individual. It is this very question that mysteriously grounds the being of the individual."
"If we are not attentive to this dimension of human existence, if we are deaf to the echo of the question which reveals itself in a desire for a destiny that can shape human life, we can never establish an authentic human relationship," Archbishop Celli warned, affirming that true communication between humans -- and it is precisely as communicators that we come together -- demands an openness to this basic yearning.
The Vatican official explained that "today, we are faced with unprecedented challenges, as well as marvelous possibilities, magnified by the rapid development of technological innovation revolutionizing communication in all its different forms."
He noted: "The cultural changes which have resulted from these developments require deep reflection and innovative thinking so that we can better reach out to others and better communicate the Good News to all humanity -- whether practicing Catholics or non-believers, whether in religious or overwhelmingly secular contexts.
"Our message is always the same -- Jesus of Nazareth must always be at the heart of our proclamation -- but how we present him to a changing world and how we communicate his message needs to be continually reformulated and adapted to the moment and the context."
Benedict XVI: Media Have Urgent Duty
Addresses North American Communicators
TORONTO, MAY 28, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI thinks the value of communication lies in its truthfulness and respect for the common good, and media professionals have a duty to promote this.
The Pope affirmed this in a message he sent to the 2008 Catholic Media Convention taking place in Toronto, Canada, through Friday, on the theme "Proclaim It From the Rooftops."
The conference has gathered some 500 members of the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals -- professionals in the fields of Catholic print and audiovisual communications, as well as Catholic communications and public relations directors -- for the purpose of spiritual, economic and professional development.
In the message, read by Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy Father expressed his wish that the conference "will be a fruitful time of spiritual growth and professional development."
Citing "Spe Salvi," the Pontiff said, "In a world where the ambiguity of progress is increasingly apparent the contribution of those in the media to the promulgation of truth, goodness and beauty becomes an ever more urgent duty and task."
The Bishop of Rome expressed his confidence that "focused on Jesus Christ who is the truth which sets us free, the delegates will not only keep the ethical dimension at the forefront of their own ecclesial service but also resolve to seek ways to assist all who work in the media to recognize that the value of communication lies in its truthfulness and respect for the common good."
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