The President of the German Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, awarded the Catholic Media Prize 2005 at a ceremony in Bonn on 26 September. In the printed press category, the prize was awarded to Wolfgang Uchatius of the weekly Die Zeit for his reporting on Philippine women immigrants in Germany, forced to work as home helps despite their high educational level, to support their children left behind in the Philippines. In the electronic media category, the prize was awarded to the director and author Max Kronawitter for a film dedicated to the problem of the acceptance of suffering. “By your journalistic works, each in your own category, you have built bridges for the understanding of others”, said Lehmann. He also emphasized that “the media have a huge potential for promoting peace and understanding between peoples”, since they are “ pontifices, bridge builders in communication at the service of mutual understanding”. At the same time, Lehmann warned of a danger: “just as the media may bring people closer together, so they may also drive them further apart”: that’s why “it is indispensable to learn how to read the message of the media” and “promote skills in the media and in communication”. In this regard, the cardinal recalled the numerous efforts of the Church in this sector, for example at the level of educational and pastoral services offered by centres for the media and schools for the training of journalists. Lehmann also thanked “all journalists for their reporting on ecclesiastical themes this year, on the occasion of the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI” and especially for their coverage of WYD in Cologne.
