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The delegate of the European bishops for the media comments on the Pope’s message for the next World Day of Social Communication (12 May) “Internet: a new Forum for proclaiming the Gospel”: that’s the theme chosen by John Paul II for the 26th World Day of Social Communication that will be held next Sunday, 12 May. To comment on the event, we interviewed Bishop Crispian Hollis of Portsmouth in England, delegate for social communication of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences. What do you think about the way in which the British media treat religious issues? “If we consider that the UK is a very secularized country and is not particularly interested in religious questions, the quantity of space that the press, radio and television devote to them is remarkable. But we need to draw a distinction between the quality press and the tabloids. The latter are only interested in news of a scandal-mongering nature and do not treat religious questions in a serious way. But the quality papers devote genuine interest to news concerning the Christian churches and religion more generally. Unfortunately the church, the Catholic church in particular, is not always skilful enough to occupy this space, because it often adopts a purely defensive attitude to the media. Why does the Catholic Church tend to have this attitude? “I think it depends on our history, on the fact that we were long a persecuted minority. But the world in which we live was created by God and is full of positive potential; it’s up to us to find the right ground, the most appropriate channels to communicate the word of God”. At times it seems to me that the British press tackles religious issues with greater respect that do the papers in Italy… “I agree. I think that the kind of anti-clericalism that exists in Italy does not exist in the UK. I’ve noted that the anticlericalism of the laity is often far more strident in the countries in which Catholicism is the religion of the majority. Our papers show a similar attitude to the Church of England, which is here the State Church”. What do you think of the way in which the British press has treated the problem of the sexual abuse of children? “I think that the press often seeks scandal. I believe however that the problem of the sexual abuse of children is so deeply felt, and arouses such strong reactions in this country, that it’s understandable why the papers should treat it with the greatest possible attention”. The Pope has dedicated his message for the next World Day of Social Communication to the Internet. What’s your view of this new means of communication? “I have to admit that I’m not a great fan of the Internet. I use the net to get information, to keep myself updated on the Vatican site and to check news of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, but I try to spend as little time on the web as possible. I use the Internet a great deal for electronic post, but only for letters of a practical nature, office communications. I have a private e-mail address on which priests can speak to me about their personal problems, but I’m convinced that electronic post should not be used for personal messages. I think it should be used for communications of a practical nature, also because electronic messages may be read by anyone. When I have to tackle really delicate questions, I prefer to write a letter”. Silvia Guzzetti – London
