Pope finds friend in media

By JAMES BREIG- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Would you believe that Pope John Paul II thinks of the media as "a friendly companion"?

He must because the title of his annual message for World Communications Day is "Mass Media: A Friendly Companion for Those in Search of the Father."

Every year, in anticipation of World Communications Day (May 16), I share the Pope's message by reworking it as a question-and-answer dialogue between him and me. Here's our 1999 conversation:

Q. Why did you give your message that title?

Pope: The theme implies two questions: How might the media work with God rather than against Him? and How might the media be a friendly companion to those searching for God's loving presence in their lives? It also implies a statement of fact and a reason for thanks: that the media do at times make it possible for those who are searching for God to read in new ways both the book of nature, which is the realm of reason, and the book of revelation, the Bible, which is the realm of faith.

Q. What is the media's role?

Pope: The theme recognizes the exceptional influence of the media in contemporary culture, and therefore the media's special responsibility to witness to the truth about life, about human dignity, about the true meaning of our freedom and mutual interdependence.

Q. Do you believe the media and the Church can be companions? Aren't they often at odds?

Pope: On the journey of human searching, the Church wishes to befriend the media, knowing that every form of cooperation will be for the good of everyone. Cooperation also means that we come to know each other better. At times, relations between the Church and the media can be marred by mutual misunderstanding, which breeds fear and distrust. It is true that Church culture and media culture are different; indeed, at certain points, there is a stark contrast. But there is no reason why differences should make friendship and dialogue impossible. In many of the deepest friendships, it is precisely differences that encourage creativity and bridge-building.

Q. How can they help each other?

Pope: The media can help the Church to proclaim the Gospel in all its enduring freshness in the everyday reality of people's lives. The Church's culture of wisdom can save the media culture of information from becoming a meaningless accumulation of facts; and the media can help the Church's wisdom to remain alert to the array of new knowledge now emerging. The Church's culture of joy can save the media culture of entertainment from becoming a soulless flight from truth and responsibility; and the media can help the Church to understand better how to communicate with people in a way that appeals and even delights.

Q. What about the internet?

Pope: With the recent explosion of information technology, the possibility for communication between individuals and groups in every part of the world has never been greater. Yet, paradoxically, the very forces which can lead to better communication can also lead to increasing self-centeredness and alienation. We find ourselves therefore in a time of both threat and promise.

Q. Are you optimistic about the future?

Pope: Let us look with great hope to the new millennium, trusting that there will be people in both the Church and the media prepared to cooperate to ensure that the promise prevails over the threat, communication over alienation.

(05-06-99) [[In-content Ad]]