"Signis" takes the first steps” “” “

Exactly twelve months ago – in November 2001 – Signis was founded in Rome as a non-profit organization, officially recognized by the Vatican. It was born from the fusion of two organizations created in 1928: UNDA (radio and television) and OCIC (cinema and audiovisuals). The world Catholic Association for the mass media now comprises 140 member countries and covers the whole field of radio, television, cinema, video, education in the media, Internet and new technologies. Signis Europe forms part of it: it has 40 member countries, and experience in the field of film promotion, production and distribution of TV programmes, presence on the juries of important film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Montecarlo, Venice), creation of radio and television stations, and vocational training. Signis Europe has just concluded its first European Assembly in Rome (31 October-3 November); its participants included thirty professionals of communication from 14 countries. “The second European Assembly will be held in the early months of 2004, following the world assembly in St. Petersburg in October 2003”, explains Jim McDonnel , president of Signis Europe. “As our immediate objectives we will work for the rejoining of Signis by Christian radio stations, promote a Week of Christian Television and a Film Festival, develop special interest groups, and prepare an Internet site”, adds McDonnel. “But the priority is the question of the financial resources that need to be found and relations with the national Episcopal Conferences, to which we will address a letter”. On 7 November, moreover, the Signis missionary service signed a deal with the Hughes Network System (HNS), a multinational in the telecommunications sector. It commits HNS to providing internet access services via satellite for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Due to come into operation on 1st December, the service is being offered to dioceses, religious communities and NGOs that operate in Africa. Below we present some experiences and projects of Signis in various European countries. Hungary. “The Catholic Press Association, Makusz, represents 400 journalists who work in the Catholic or lay media and declare themselves Catholic”, says George Josfay. “Makusz is recognized by the Church and forms part of Signis, but it isn’t an ecclesiastical institution”. It comprises two sectors: “one for professionals involved in Catholic radio stations and in Catholic programmes on Hungarian radio; and the other for staff of Hungarian Television and Duna Television (both state-run) and for the producers of ‘amateur’ videos destined for Catholic communities”. “This year we’ve had an ecumenical festival of religious films”, continues Josfay. “The biggest problem for the existence of our association is how to fund its activities. Half of the members pay a personal subscription of 12 euros per year. To that is added the modest sums allocated by the Hungarian parliament and by the Church but it’s not enough. On these conditions it’s difficult for us to participate in international events”. Slovenia. “Before the independence of Yugoslavia the Slovene Church was a member of UNDA and OCIC”, explains Joze Kokalj. “But in the years that preceded 1991 its membership was progressively weakened”. This year the Slovene Episcopal Conference has created the national Association for Communication which forms part of Signis. It’s headed by a bishop. “Signis Slovenia comprises 13 members of all the dioceses”, adds Kokalj, “and covers the national Catholic radio station and the Slovene section of Vatican Radio, activities on Internet, the organization of Catholic journalists and publishing houses”. “For the first time all these activities form part of the same national association and the collaboration between them is good”. The main problem, stresses Kokalj, is “the lack of financial support for Internet, the new apostolic activity”. Malta. “Signis is represented by the Secretariat for social communications and by the Centre for the media of the archdiocese of Malta”, says Nicholas Cachia. “In June the archdiocese decided not to run its own television station but to set up a TV production unit to produce and distribute programmes in local TV stations”. To this is added a weekly 45-minute-long ‘prime time’ programme on State television. “The issues treated include discipleship and social responsibilities, the relevance of God today, the responsible use of Internet, basic and artificial needs”. The other channels have very limited religious programming, just 0.75%”. Signis Malta is also involved in RTK, the second most popular radio station on the island, with a Media Education project for children; introduced as early as 1981, it has now also been adopted in schools and inserted in the “national minimum curriculum”. Latvia. “People want to speak about their problems, they’re searching for hope and for someone to listen to them”, says Inta Zegnere. “In Latvia we have a Christian radio station and a 60-minute television programme that goes on the air every Sunday afternoon. We prefer to begin with testimonies rather than with news. There’s also a slot for children. In the mornings we receive so many telephone calls from young people”. In Latvia there are some 500,000 Catholics, but there’s also a small Orthodox community (some 3,000) and also some Baptists. Romania. The two and a half million Romanian Greek-Catholics (barely 2% of the population) don’t have an official voice in the media but, explains Anca Berlogea, “the commercial radio station carries religious programmes and there are Catholics who work for the national TV channels”. In December there’ll be “a film and spirituality festival dedicated to children in senior secondary schools” and a Signis prize will be awarded. A theatrical performance inspired by John’s Gospel is also on the programme. Belarus. “The Catholic media are in difficulty”, says Iouri Goroulev. But some steps have been taken. “We have two Catholic publishing houses, a school of journalism of which we are proud, two video studios, and a private television station”, explains Goroulev. “Over the last five years national TV has transmitted 8 of our documentaries. One of them was repeated 4 times”. Belgium. Signis Belgium is very differentiated, explains Jos Horemans: “There are film clubs in 22 cities; monthly and quarterly magazines on the cinema for a total of 4000 subscribers, a high number for non-popular cultural reviews, bearing in mind that Belgium only has a population of 6 million. There’s also an educational service on the media and a documentation centre on the cinema”. Unfortunately the future isn’t rosy because “funds are lacking. We risk disappearing altogether unless we find new funding”. Switzerland. “The official churches (Catholic and Reformed) have lost influence and credibility in secularised society”, says Willi Anderau. “This also goes for the media. We have reduced our budget by 20%. We still have short radio broadcasts of 3/4 minutes on radio and a video window on Internet which enables the bishops to speak to people directly”. England. “The Catholic documentation centre has closed for financial reasons”, says Jim McDonnel. “Perhaps Signis England will be set up next year. In the meantime we have religious programmes broadcast by the BBC and by local radio stations”. France. “There is no link, nor has there ever been a link, between those who work in the Catholic radio, TV and audiovisual media in France”, says Gabriel Nissim. “So no French presence in Signis exists. Nor have the bishops invited anyone to represent France at this first European assembly”. Valentina Conte