editorial" "
On 24 January the Church is celebrating the memory of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists. Born in Savoy in 1567, Francis studied civil and canon law in Padua, and theology in Paris. Having become a priest at the age of 26, he dedicated himself to restoring Calvinist Chablais to Catholicism, and after various attempts finally succeeded. It was during this period that, given the meagre results he had achieved from the pulpit, Francis began publishing handbills, which he slipped under the doors of houses or pasted on walls. Thanks to these activities of publishing and distributing handbills he would be proclaimed the patron of journalists of all those who defend the Christian truth with the means of social communication. At the age of 35 he became bishop of Geneva, where he introduced the reforms of the Council of Trent. Francis is remembered for his benevolence and goodness; he himself was fond of repeating, not without irony: “How good must God be, if Francis is so good”. A learned humanist, Francis was also a great spiritual director: the some 2,000 letters addressed to his spiritual children bear witness to this. They included: St. Vincent de Paul and St. Jeane Françoise Frèmyot de Chantal, with whom he founded the order of the Visitation. Francis de Sales died at Lyons on 28 December 1622, following an attack of apoplexy. Canonized in 1655, in the new church calendar he is commemorated on 24 January, the day on which his mortal remains were taken to Annecy for final burial. His writings, including his Book of Devotions and his “Treatise on God’s Love”, won him the title of Doctor of the Church in 1923. To mark the saint’s feast day, we are publishing an editorial by Gabriel Nissim , representative of Signis (an umbrella organization representing 140 Catholic associations of the world of communications in 160 countries) to the Council of Europe, on the role of journalists in the process of European unification and for peace in the world. Three year ago, during a seminar attended by several journalists from central Europe, the question was raised of cultural minorities. There exists, as is well known, an important Hungarian-speaking minority in Romania and vice versa. Only a single point in common could be noted in the attitude of the Hungarian and Romanian journalists present to this problem: the fact that they never allowed the “others” to speak. Given this situation, a journalist of the former Yuglosalvia pointed out to them: “You are preparing a war… ” In a context of globalization, the mass media tend to satisfy the demand for identity, at times nationalistic, that grows in a large part of the public; of course, this need for identity (cultural, linguistic or religious) is legitimate and salutary in an open and pluralist situation like our own. The journalist from the former Yugoslavia knew, however, what he was speaking about: the media may have a great responsibility in conflicts by encouraging the tendencies of their public in terms of identity. Their tasks of information and communication ought to consist also in trying to furnish the point of view of the “others”, especially in situations of open or potential conflict. For Christian mass media and journalists, moreover, succumbing to the temptation of pandering to people’s identity means sinning against God, since he is the God of everyone. In this period, Europe’s main problem (whether we consider the 25 countries of the EU in 2004 or the 45 member countries of the Council of Europe) is to learn to live together by respecting each other’s differences. Never giving the “others” a chance to speak means taking self-affirmation to the point of violence by denying “the other” of his right to exist. The media may exert a decisive influence on the future of this Europe by conducting their profession in a proper way: by enabling “the other” to have a voice, to be seen and heard, to exist in our eyes and hearts, and by demonstrating that it is possible to live together with him, since he too is a human being. But to succeed in this mission, as journalists know only too well, various conditions need to be fulfilled. First, we must be willing to shift our ground not only physically but also intellectually and spiritually, as did a white American journalist who disguised himself as a black man to understand from inside the experience of racism in the USA a shattering experience! The willingness to welcome the foreigner is not enough, because a real understanding of “the other” involves drawing close to him; it means trying to put oneself in his shoes. As the Bible reminds us, the way we welcome others changes when we personally experience the condition of the foreigner in the house of others. Of course, not everyone can do so alone; that’s why journalists ought to be the models of this approach for their public. Second condition: the need to give due emphasis to the deepest roots of our identity, not remaining attached to its superficial aspects but referring ourselves to what is best and most human in it. There are two reasons for this: first, because what is genuinely human never makes us different from others; second, because only by appreciating and esteeming our human identity can we understand and respect the dignity of others. A third condition consists in giving proof of our role of educators of the public. In the moral contract between the public and the journalist, the former seeks information to help explain what may be difficult to understand. The public, in fact, is willing to make an effort to understand: it’s happy to be taken seriously and takes pleasure and pride in enriching its own understanding of events and of people. But this presupposes that journalists treat the public with greater respect, and not just repeat to them what they already know and what they wish to hear, and above all, that they do not limit themselves to the usual prejudices and stereotypes about others. This requires a genuine effort of discovery. In this effort in favour of mutual understanding, a factor of peace, the particular importance of everything that concerns the religious sphere should not be forgotten. The religious identity forms part of our most intimate convictions; even those who declare themselves non-believers are involved more than they think, as has been shown, for instance, by reactions at the time of the wars in the Balkans or with regard to Turkey’s entry into the European Union. At the same time, according to the image furnished by the mass media, religions are a factor of conflict. In such conditions, it’s particularly important that the confessional mass media regularly furnish information about other religions, and frequently give them a chance to express their views. For the Christian mass media, the spirit created by John Paul II at Assisi ought to be a priority concern. Today, people often speak, with good reason, of ethics in the sphere of the media, but as Catholic journalists, in the footsteps of our patron St. Francis de Sales, we soon discover that this profession also implies a purely spiritual effort. Indeed, the responsibility for creating communion between human beings, cultures and religions is a spiritual vocation. Speaking of “the other” with the greatest possible truth and justice always presupposes an effort to draw close to those we are speaking about and to those whom we are addressing. Yes, there exists a holiness and a joy peculiar to the journalist whenever he/she succeeds in arousing communion, since by doing so the journalist does not just participate in this communion but becomes its mediator, in the image of Christ.
