Go forwards

Benedict XVI received in audience the directors, journalists and technicians of the media promoted by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (Cei), the Catholic daily “Avvenire”, the satellite television channel Sat2000, the radio circuit InBlu and the SIR press agency on 2nd June. During the audience, held in the Hall of Blessing in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pope proposed a reflection on the relations between faith and culture, as they have developed in recent decades, a reflection useful, he said for “grasping the overall significance of work” within the world of information. He also referred to European culture. We cite below the central part of his speech. “European culture has been formed through the centuries with the contribution of Christianity. But beginning with the Enlightenment the culture of the West has progressively, and with growing speed, distanced itself from its Christian roots. Especially in the more recent past the dissolution of the family, the breakdown of marriage, the attacks on human life and its dignity, the reduction of faith to subjective experience, and the consequent secularisation of the public conscience, show to us with dramatic clarity the consequences of this loss of faith. There exist, however, in various parts of Europe experiences and forms of Christian culture that are being reaffirmed or that are newly emerging with growing impetus. In particular, the Catholic faith is still substantially present in the life of the Italian people and the signs of its renewed vitality are visible to everyone. A constant discernment is therefore needed in your work as communicators inspired by the Gospel. As you well know, the Pastors of the Church in Italy are careful to conserve those Christian forms that spring from the great tradition of the Italian people and that shape community life, by updating them, purifying them where necessary and especially by reinforcing and encouraging them. It is also your task to support and promote the new Christian experiences that are being born and help them to develop an ever clearer consciousness of their own rooting in the Church and of the role they can play in Italian culture and society. All this, dear friends, forms part of your daily task, of a job to be performed not in an abstract or purely intellectual manner, but by being alert to the thousand facets of the concrete life of a people, its problems, its needs and its hopes. May the certainty that the Christian faith is open to “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious” in the culture of peoples support you and give you courage in this task, as the apostle Paul taught the Philippians (cf. 4:8)! Go forwards, therefore, in your work with this spirit and with this attitude. Bear luminous witness yourself to profound Christian life and thus remain steadfastly united to Christ to be able to look at the world with his very eyes. Be happy to belong to the Church and to introduce her voice and her reasons in the great circuit of communication. Never tire of building bridges of understanding and communication between ecclesial experience and public opinion. In this way you shall be protagonists of a form of communication that is not escapist, but a friend at the service of man in our time”.