Reporting to unite” “

Is that of 1st May an enlargement or a reunification? And what should be the role of the Catholic media in this phase of transformation of European history? These are some of the questions posed on the first days of the “European Weeks of Communication” (1- 15 May), promoted by the Catholic University of Lyon and aimed at young journalists and professionals in the field of information. The third year of the event has at its theme “Europe at a turning point of its history: political challenges, cultural and religious dimensions, role of the media”. It is being attended by 17 young journalists from Belgium, France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary. THE WAY OF INTEGRATION. “‘It won’t be possible to safeguard world peace without creative efforts equal to the dangers to be tackled’, declared Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950”, and “the challenges posed to the continent in this moment of Beethoven’s ‘Hymn to Joy’ are legion. First, the existence of ‘two Europes’: the ‘old’ Europe and the ‘young’ Europe that now co-exist”, declared FRANCOIS BOURSIER, professor of history at the Catholic University of Lyon, addressing the young journalists at Strasbourg in recent days. This year’s “Week of Communication” is in fact being held in several venues: the French city that is the seat of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe; Luxembourg, seat of the Court of Justice; Scy-Chazelles where Robert Schuman is buried and where the European Centre named after him is situated (CERS); and, lastly, Lyon. “It’s up to us – continued Boursier – to decide what road to take to continue the European process: whether the one that privileges the economic sphere, or whether it will preferable to aim at an ever stronger integration at the political level, so as to ensure a greater social cohesion and, at the same time, lead Europe to assume greater responsibilities on the world stage”. “We are at a crossroads in which the alternatives are self-enclosure in an attitude of selfish neutrality, or the full immersion in history, in our history and in this present moment. We need to have the courage to take this second route”, concluded Boursier. REALISM AND DARING. The journalist and former director general of information at the European Parliament, PAUL COLLOWALD, urged the participants to “attune to the founding Fathers of Europe, and grasp their real spirit in the mixture of realism and daring that is the best sentiment with which to tackle the current challenges”. “There’s still a great deal to build – he said – but this goal reached by the ten new member countries, which is at the same time a point of departure, shows that it is possible to achieve positive results and is a further stimulus to us”. According to DORIS PACK, leading the Delegation for the countries of south-east Europe, “In the view of our new neighbours, including the countries of the Balkans that look to us with trust and hope, Europe is called to play a more significant role on the international stage”, but “must also intervene on the internal level, by finding in itself its own responses, in other words the common roots of its over 450 million citizens”. According to Pack, “we need to build and reinforce a common consciousness thanks to which everyone really feels at home”. THE CATHOLIC MEDIA. In this context, “the professionals of communication have a central role to play – said Collowald -. In Brussels alone there are over a thousand accredited journalists; they must approach their public with honesty, simplicity and sensitivity and help combat the two enemies that could hamper the progress of Europe: ignorance and indifference”. So how should the media, and in particular the Catholic media, conduct themselves? GABRIEL M.NISSIM, Signis representative to the Council of Europe, tried to answer this question: “Communication implies, in its very root, the idea of ‘communion’. The role of the Catholic media, therefore, is especially that of cementing the communion between persons. In the first place, the Catholic media must become intermediaries between civil society and Christ, because it’s very difficult to understand what Christ means today. Faith however needs to be explained in people’s everyday language and by witness. We need to speak of the difficulties of life and propose positive examples of those who have overcome them”. The last step, concluded Nissim, “is reflection on what specific contribution Catholic journalists may make in the current situation”. In Nissim’s view, “this question needs to be posed, but it remains open and a challenge also for the years ahead”. From Lion, Maria Lyra