Innovation on the web

With a celebration, on September 7 some 40 press officers and directors of communication from European major Christian churches, (Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox) convened in Geneva’s Anglican church for the official opening of “PONEC”, the “Press Officers’ Network from European Churches”. Its establishment was the result of two days of work – September 5-7 – aimed at identifying best practices and objectives. The network enjoys the support of the Council of European Churches (CEC) and is directed “to all directors of communication from the European Churches in membership with ecumenical bodies”. Thus, participants said, “considering the role of professionals in Church communication as a vocation”, “the aim of PONEC is to renew and strengthen internal, external and interfaith communication” so as to make “the voice of the churches and of the ecumenical movement more clearly heard in Europe, through the church media, lay media and directly to European institutions”. PONEC is also meant to act as CEC referent of the Catholic counterpart network of press officers of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE). The meeting in Geneva also addressed the question of religious communication in Europe. Maria Chiara Biagioni attended the meeting as correspondent of SIR Europe. France. “Conveying religious issues in France – said Muriel Menanteau, spokesperson of the Protestant Federation in France – is extremely difficult and arduous. It has however improved in the past years, since there has been a recovery of religious questions, which has led many journalists to take an interest in this sphere. Indeed, lack of religious knowledge and culture is also widespread. This requires a major commitment on the part of the churches. In the French environment for example, media tend to identify Christianity primarily with the Catholic Church. Protestant faith does in fact represent only a small minority of the French population, but its history deeply affected the life of our Country. Thus French Protestants find it difficult to be visible and understood. To a certain degree, they are victims of deep-rooted anti-American prejudice in France whereby Protestants are identified with the United States. Thus we often need to reiterate who we are and where we come from”. What are the most popular issues? “People are very sensitive to the vigilance carried out by Protestants in cooperation with the Catholic Church regarding recent immigration policies. Christian Churches voiced their concern through a series of joint statements. However, I think we shouldn’t cherish hopes regarding their social spin-off”. Great Britain. For many months the Anglican Communion was the object of world media coverage in connection with complex events (homosexuality and women’s Episcopal ordination) which seriously undermined the very unity of the Communion (with the meeting of the dissident bishops in Jerusalem). For this reason, Marie Papworth, spokesperson of the archbishop of Canterbury, prefers to describe her job as “reactive, rather than active”. Most times, she explained, “we are compelled to tell journalists that there is nothing to say, otherwise we’d have respond to everything. It is a question of deciding which issue we intend to address directly and our intervention aims at ensuring that the bishop’s message comes through clearly. For instance, we replied to the final statement of the Anglican bishops that convened in Jerusalem, but as relates to politics, we try to be very careful”. Thus, often silence is the preferential path, “also because – Papworth remarked – in the Church of England there is a greater number of bishops and each bishop has his own stand”. “After September 11, the media began to take an interest in religious issues. This interest extended also to Churches. We must however be realistic about this interest, which often dwells upon matters pertaining to homosexuality, women bishops and internal Church problems”. Romania. “In Romania – said Nicolae Dascalu, adviser of the Orthodox Patriachate of Romania for the media centre “Basilica” – religious information is widely covered by the media. Not only Church media are interested in conveying news regarding the cultural and social activities of the Church, also lay media wish to know the position of Catholic, Protestant and even of the Orthodox Church, since it represents the majority view on different issues”. In order to respond to this renewed interest, the Orthodox Church – in the person of the new Patriarch Daniel – has sought to develop media resources. Thus the information centre “Basilica” was set up, which includes the “press center” of Romania’s Orthodox Patriarchate, a radio station, a TV channel, a daily, “Lumina”, and a new press agency that can be accessed by logging on www.basilica.ro.