Posts Tagged ‘World Communications Day’

Next World Communications Day – What does silence communicate?

DO847

At first glance, it may seem strange to choose silence as the theme for World Communications Day 2012, but that is just what the Pontifical Council for Social Communications has done.

In a statement released today, they explain this choice, pointing out that silence is more than the absence of noise or sound. ‘Silence and Word: path of evangelisation’ is the message for the next World Communications Day scheduled the Sunday before Pentecost (in 2012, 20 May).

Part of the statement reads:

“The extraordinarily varied nature of the contribution of modern communications to society highlights the need for a value which, on first consideration, might seem to stand in contradistinction to it. In the thought of Pope Benedict XVI, silence is not presented simply as an antidote to the constant and unstoppable flow of information that characterises society today but rather as a factor that is necessary for its integration. Silence, precisely because it favours habits of discernment and reflection, can in fact be seen primarily as a means of welcoming the word.

“We ought not to think in terms of a dualism, but of the complementary nature of two elements which when they are held in balance serve to enrich the value of communication and which make it a key factor that can serve the new evangelisation. It is clearly the desire of the Holy Father to associate the theme of the next World Communications Day with the celebration of the forthcoming Synod of Bishops which will have as its own theme: ‘The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith’.”

The connection between world communications day and the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation signals how important both events are to the Holy Father, who calls for reflection and prayer as being a vital part of understanding the Gospel we are called to spread. St Francis is thought to have said, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words.” Even if the great man from Assisi was misquoted, it shows how “Preaching” means more than just talking.

It will be great to see how Pope Benedict develops this theme when he releases his message for World Communications Day early next year on the feast of the patron saint of writers St Francis de Sales, January 24th.

Of related interest:

DO531 What Catholics Believe - To anyone interested in learning something of the Catholic faith, this ‘twenty-steps’ pocket book will be a treasure. Different people have so many different questions and this booklet does not pretend to be a complete expression of the Catholic faith – but is an excellent introduction: a step on your journey to Christ.
B708 Francis De Sales – Despite poor health, his fine mind, legal training and powerful pen, coupled with his great faith and zeal, made him a persuasive and effective debater against the Calvinism of his time.
SC86 The Four Evangelists – This booklet offers digestible and attractive summaries of the life and work of each of the four Gospel writers, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. It provides an excellent overview and introduction to the structure, themes and emphasis of each of the four gospels, and for Luke and John, their other writings (Acts, Letters and Revelation) are also explored.
Friday, 30 September 2011 11:36

Remember the human person in this age of the internet – world communications day

DO506

You may wonder why, in a post on the 45th World Communications Day marked yesterday, there is a picture of Pope John Paul II’s first encyclical Redemptor Hominis.

It set out the blessed Polish Pope’s Christian humanism; a humanism which always put the dignity of the human person first, and that was a central theme of Pope Benedict’s message for the day.

Last week, Fr Federico Lombardi warned against the dangers of a now all-pervasive internet and the relationships people construct there.

“”What kind of ‘friendships’ are we building online?” Is the network a place where we can convincingly and credibly give ‘testimony,’ or is it only an environment of noncommittal presences, fictitious profiles where we fail to admit the truth about ourselves?”

This sentiment was echoed yesterday by the Holy Father himself, in his special message for the occasion, speaking particularly about young people, he said:

“Their ever greater involvement in the public digital forum, created by the so-called social networks, helps to establish new forms of interpersonal relations, influences self-awareness and therefore inevitably poses questions not only of how to act properly, but also about the authenticity of one’s own being. Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world. In the search for sharing, for ‘friends’, there is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself.”

You can read the full address here.

He also called on Christians to bear witness in this latest arena:

“In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfilment (cf. Eph 1:10). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience.”

Let’s hope that these tools can be put at the service of what is good, remembering that our desire for relationships is a desire for communion, the communion which is ultimately found in Jesus. It is the mission of every Christian in every age to do what they can to make that communion a real possibility. To return to the redeemer of man:

“The Church wishes to serve this single end: that each person may be able to find Christ, in order that Christ may walk with each person the path of life, with the power of the truth about man and the world that is contained in the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption and with the power of the love that is radiated by that truth.”

(Redemptor Hominis 13)

Of related interest:

A Way in Catholic Social Teaching – A Way In - The Common Good’, ‘option for the poor’ ‘subsidiarity’- concepts like these have become part of the currency of Catholic teaching, but what do they mean? What are their foundations in scripture and tradition which make them distinctively Catholic?
Ex30 Global Warming – How should we respond? – Global warming is seen as the defining issue of our generation. Does the Church believe that it is really happening, and what should Catholics do to care for our planet?
S400 Sollicitudo Rei Sociali – “There is a better understanding today that the mere accumulation of goods and services, even for the benefit of the majority, is not enough for the realisation of human happiness,” wrote John Paul II on the twentieth anniversary of Paul VI’s revolutionary encyclical Populorum Progressio.
Monday, 06 June 2011 15:30

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