Declaration of peace ” “” “

We publish the text of the “Lyon Declaration”: a “charter” for peace, approved in recent days by Signis, the world Catholic association for communication, on the occasion of its assembly convened in the French city. On 9 November the assembly will proceed to the approval of some amendments to its statutes, and to the election of its President to succeed Peter Malone and Vice-Presidents. The participants at the assembly, from all continents, presented various experiences in the media and examined various fields of communication: Internet, radio, television, cinema, and education in the media. The “Lyon Declaration” sums up the reflection begun by Signis on the responsibility of media professionals for peacemaking. It is also an “ecumenical” document, drafted by a commission formed of representatives of various Christian Churches. Of particular importance is the contribution made by Signis Europe, currently headed by Jim McDonnell (cf. SIR 73/2005), the branch of the association from which comes Marc Aellen, its new general secretary in place of Robert Molhant. Archbishop John Patrick Foley, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will also participate in the closing session of the assembly in Lyon. We, media professionals and citizens, christians and members of the World Catholic Association for Communication (Signis). Have come together in Lyon in order to promote media for a culture of peace. At the start of the 21st Century we not achieved peace. Everywhere, humanity faces violence, springing from many sources: Hunger and structural injustices. Trafficking of all kinds and especially of human beings. Nationalism, ethnic and religious conflicts, terrorism and wars etc But above all, an absence of respect for the dignity of each human person, man or woman, black or white, with or without disabilities, of any country, religion, minority group or whatever they may be. So there is an urgency to develop a Culture of Peace in order to build an environment of peace and security for ourselves, for future generations and for the life of all. Recalling that peace is not the absence of conflicts. It is not the consecration of the victory of the strong over the weak, nor the confirmation of established injustice. It is, on the contrary a way of resolving conflicts, not according to the force of might, but by the force of law and negotiation, with the aim of achieving a fullness of life for every and each one. In our globalized world, in which peoples and cultures encounter each other every day, living together presupposes that we recognize and accept the diversity of our identities as a reflection of the multi-faceted richness of our common and unique humanity. Convinced that in each human being, in each people, there is at the same time both an instinct for violence, and a profound desire for peace and a capacity for realising it: “Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called children of God”. Created in the image of God, we are fitted for making peace, as has been shown by the initiatives undertaken by those who worked, suffered and given up their lives for peace throughout the world. We believe that the main battle for peace is within each human being, and not in the pursuit of weapons and violence. We declare and emphasise that peace today necessarily involves the media: they are necessarily at the heart of every process which promotes war or peace. That the media, in reality, are often instigators of violence, when they reinforce sectarian (exclusive identities) tendencies, when they fall prey to sensationalism, when they reproduce stereotypes of the “others”, when they stir up hatred. But the media have also the capacity to be mediators, bringing groups and individuals into contact with each other: there lies their unique basic human value, when they contribute to mutual understanding and solidarity. They have a decisive role in showing people to each other when they recognize different groups as at the heart of society and through their influence on the mentalities, values and models of social behaviour. That is why we invite all citizens, public authorities, representatives of civil society, the Churches and other religions, all media professionals and their publics, and we ourselves, to commit to the following objectives: Develop the independence of the media in conflict situations – In opposing all form of censorship or propaganda on the part of political, civil, military or religious authorities; – In opposing all forms of economic censorship which claims to satisfy the supposed opinions and tastes of the public in stead of respecting the public by giving serious and in depth information. – Develop the capacity of the media to put individuals, groups and peoples into communication with each other – In resisting all nationalistic, xenophobic, racist and sectarian pressures; – In refusing to disseminate caricatures which imprison social groups in degrading stereotypes; – In giving other people the opportunity to speak – a highly symbolic attitude because it recognizes others as truly human; – In being attentive to the emotional force of images: depending on the way in which they are created and disseminated can lead to anxiety as well as sympathy, to voyeurism as well as solidarity; – In being attentive to the specific risks and advantages of the Internet: violent as well as educational games, hate sites as well as those dedicated to justice and peace – in short, pay attention to the human quality of the look we give to others Pay attention to the role of the media in conflicts – Refusing to cover events without seeking to know and understand their causes; – In refusing to be quiet in the face of structural or other injustice – pay attention, therefore, to the way in which the media report events and their multiplicator effect on public opinion – in asking how to give an account of conflicts without fostering the idea that violence is the normal way to resolve conflicts and to contribute to a culture of peace – in short how to place the resources of each type of media (press, radio, music, cinema, television, Internet etc) at the service of promoting a culture of peace The media have an important role to play in the construction of peace and, in spite of all difficulties, they do so more often than one might assume. We must not forget all those media professionals who themselves suffer violence and opposition in their work. Many of them have lost their lives. In putting themselves at the service of truth and justice they have been prophets. And like the prophets, people want them to be quiet, ” he is telling the truth, he must be killed”. The effort that we want to promote is one way of honouring the memory of their sacrifice.