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INTRODUCTION
1. The witness of faith which should be given in the public forum of the
media makes it necessary for Christians to work together more effectively in
their communications efforts and to act in more direct cooperation with other
religions to ensure a united religious presence in the very heart of mass
communications. The guidelines gathered in this document have been drawn up in
order to promote greater cooperation among Christians and with the
representatives of other religions engaged in the field of communications. They
aim to permit Catholics engaged in mass communications to carry out better their
primary task of announcing and witnessing to their own faith, while at the same
time favoring a better mutual understanding, both among Christians and with
believers of other religions.
2. Cooperation among Christian communicators and with members of other
religions working in the field of communications takes on a central importance
in the relationship with public authorities and with communications officials
for the preservation, promotion and coordination of the expression of a
religious viewpoint in the media. For the most part, access to the mass
communications media is permitted only in the context of an understanding among
the different religious bodies who wish to take part in the public dialogue.
3. This document is concerned with concrete cooperation and does not deal
directly with questions about doctrinal dialogue in communications programs or
productions. It can be said, on the other hand, that the Catholic doctrinal and
moral teaching is an irreplaceable reference point for Catholic communicators.
It is the responsibility of the competent ecclesiastical authorities - on the
different levels: local, national, continental and world - to safeguard the
doctrinal and moral aspect of every communications activity. The responsible
pastoral officials have the right and the duty to give their judgment and their
specific directions in this regard. They will evaluate in each case the risks
and the opportuneness of common initiatives, keeping in mind the necessity to
safeguard the specific identity of Catholic initiatives.
4. Manipulation or base proselytism, at times practiced in the media, is
incompatible with the ecumenical task and with the spirit of inter-religious
cooperation, as the Word of God indicates and as the decisions of ecclesiastical
authorities affirm.1 The growth today of new religious movements, often
called "sects", which claim to be a form of evangelism, but which are at
least partially inspired by non-Christian ideologies, is sometimes accompanied
by proselytism fraught with serious consequences, accentuated by widespread
diffusion through the communications media.
5. All cooperation will take into account the pastoral situation in each
particular place. The communicators charged with ecumenical and inter-religious
cooperation will have to be carefully prepared, prudent and keenly aware of
their responsibilities.
CRITERIA FOR ECUMENICAL COOPERATION IN
THE MEDIA
6. The era of communication and information that is taking shape today is
contributing to the fashioning of a new sort of relationship between persons and
communities. It requires an increasingly deeper unity on the part of Christians
through the exercise of close cooperation.
The impulse towards ecumenical action and initiative comes from the message
and the decisions of Vatican Council II,2 as well as from later Church
documents indicating how these are to be applied and interpreted.3 They
illustrate the unity which already exists among the Churches and Christian
communities. Such an attitude can only make more credible the work and methods
of evangelization in the service of the Kingdom of God.
7. Ecumenical cooperation can be realized in every aspect of social
communication. It is in itself a witness offered to the world. Because the mass
media reach beyond the normal limits of space and time, this cooperation will be
at one and the same time local, regional and international. At times, it will
require the reciprocal participation of Catholic communicators in the
communications initiatives of other Churches and Christian communities, and of
other Christians in Catholic projects, as well as the formation of Christian
working groups within secular communications organizations.
8. The manner of cooperation in social communications matters will depend to
a large extent on the way in which communications actually work. The
international Catholic communications organizations have for their task to make
known these methods and to initiate pastors and the faithful to an effective
presence in the communications aspect of contemporary society. Thus, ecumenical
cooperation will require exchanges between the Catholic Church's international
communications organizations and the corresponding organizations of the other
Christian bodies. This cooperation will evidently also extend to the regional
and local levels, according to the circumstances of each communications
initiative.
9. Joint projects, undertaken when this seems opportune, have as their aim to
allow Christians to give a common witness to Christ. It is not their purpose to
weaken the authenticity of the Christian and ecclesial message, or to limit any
specifically Catholic initiative.4
10. The application in practice of these general criteria demands that
Catholics working in the media shall have a deep knowledge and a faithful
practice of their faith. It requires reciprocal trust and understanding among
Christians, based on mutual respect, and with a view to doing things together in
communications. This implies that Catholic communications services and Catholics
engaged in communications will provide fair and objective information on the
ecumenical movement and on the other Christian Churches and communities. Such an
obligation will never prevent the faithful presentation of the specifically
Catholic message in all its fullness. Reciprocity often stumbles on practical
questions such as differences in the organization of the social communications
apostolate, or different approaches to the financing of it. It is indispensable
that pastoral authorities take these practical problems into consideration and
allow a fair sharing of financial resources and a harmonization of working
practices.
11. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications encourages present and
future efforts at ecumenical cooperation in the field of social communications.
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is itself involved in
seeking further forms of ecumenical cooperation, as discoveries in the media
field open up new possibilities, with a view to avoiding fragmentation of effort
where organization and planning are essential.
Priorities need to be defined by common accord regarding the specific areas
in which ecumenical cooperation can best be exercised.5
12. The dynamism of Catholic organizations and Church institutions in the
social communications apostolate is a fundamental condition for constructive
ecumenical cooperation, as well as a guarantee that the Catholic message in its
entirety will be safeguarded. In this connection, it is essential to develop on
all levels of the Catholic social communications apostolate a team of Church
personnel who are professionally competent, technically sophisticated and
theologically well-grounded.
A more energetic cooperation in the apostolate among the international
Catholic organizations for social communications (OCIC, UCIP and UNDA) 6 will be
a help towards a better ecumenical collaboration.
13. The training of Catholic communicators must include serious ecumenical
preparation, conducted in accordance with the directives of the Holy See 7 and of
local and regional pastoral authorities.
14. It would be very useful if Christians would extend their cooperation to
take in also the more recently developed media, especially in regard to the
common use of satellites, data banks, and cable networks and in informatics
generally, beginning with system-compatibility.
CRITERIA FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS COOPERATION IN
COMMUNICATIONS
15. The era of communication and information taking shape today demands
equally of all who live a religious faith and who are engaged in the service of
public dialogue a mutual commitment for the good of humanity.
These
guidelines for a joint response by Christians and members of other religions to
the opportunities which arise in modern communications exchange reflect the
spirit of the relevant decrees of Vatican Council II.8
Inter-religious understanding is based on the common quest by the world's great
religions to make a fitting reply to the main questions regarding human destiny.
A serious and continuing joining of efforts will help to overcome any tendency
within the general public to have a superficial, superstitious, or magical
understanding of religion.
16. Cooperation among the different religions can be realized in every aspect
of social communication. This is already in itself a way of witnessing before
the world. Because the media reach beyond the limits of space and time, this
inter-religious cooperation will be at one and the same time local, regional and
international.
Reciprocal agreements will sometimes be advisable between
Catholic (and other Christian) communicators and the communications workers of
other religions, as will be the formation of inter-religious working groups
within secular communications organizations.
17. The manner of cooperation in social communications will depend to a large
extent on the methods proper to the media. Interreligious cooperation will take
into account the specific contexts of production and planning on the local,
regional, national or international level.
18. Joint projects, undertaken when this seems opportune, have as their aim
to allow Christians and members of other religions to give a common witness to
God. It is not their purpose to weaken the Christian and ecclesial message or to
limit any specifically Catholic initiative.
19. The application in practice of these general criteria demands that
Catholics working in the media shall have a deep knowledge and a faithful
practice of their faith. It requires reciprocal trust and understanding among
Catholics, other Christians, and members of other religions, based on mutual
respect, and with a view to doing things together in communications. This
implies that Catholic communications services and Catholics engaged in
communications will provide fair and objective information on other religions of
humanity. Such an obligation will never prevent the faithful presentation of the
specifically Catholic message in all its fullness.
Reciprocity often stumbles on practical questions such as differences in the
organization of the social communications apostolate, or different approaches to
the financing of it. It is indispensable that pastoral authorities take these
practical problems into consideration and allow a fair sharing of financial
resources and a harmonization of working practices.
20. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications encourages further
efforts at cooperation with the members of other religions to promote religious
and moral values in the field of social communications. The Pontifical Council
for Social Communications is itself involved in seeking further forms of
inter-religious cooperation, as discoveries in the media field open up new
possibilities, with a view to avoiding fragmentation of effort where
organization and planning are essential.
21. The dynamism of Catholic organizations and Church institutions in the
social communications apostolate is a fundamental condition for constructive and
effective inter-religious cooperation, as well as a guarantee that the Catholic
message in its entirety will be safeguarded. In this connection, it is essential
to develop on all levels of the Catholic social communications apostolate a team
of Church personnel who are professionally competent, technically sophisticated
and theologically well-grounded.
A more energetic cooperation in the apostolate among the international
Catholic organizations for social communications (OCIC, UCIP and UNDA) (see note
no.6 )
will be a help towards better cooperation with other religions.
22. A specific formation, in accord with the directives of the Holy See, is
necessary to prepare Catholic communicators better for cooperation with the
members of other great religions in the work of communications .
23. An inter-religious understanding between Catholics and the members of
other religions would be equally useful in regard to the more recently developed
media, especially the common use of satellites, data banks, and cable networks
and in informatics generally, beginning with system-compatibility.
Vatican City, October 4, 1989, Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
JOHN P. FOLEY,
President |
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Msgr. PIERFRANCO PASTORE,
Secretary |
NOTES
| 1 |
-SECRETARIAT FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY - WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES,
Common Witness and Proselytism, "Information Service" 14 (1971), pp. 18-23;
about the interpretation of the Scripture and the will of the ecclesial
authorities on the unity of witness, see also: WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES / ROMAN
CATHOLIC JOINT WORKING GROUP, Common Witness,"Information Service" 44
(1980), pp. 142-162. |
| 2 |
-VATICAN COUNCIL II, Conciliar decree Unitatis redintegratio, "Acta
Apostolicae Sedis" 1965, esp. pp. 99-100 n. 12. |
| 3 |
-PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS, Pastoral Instruction
Communio et progressio, "Acta Apostolicae Sedis" 1971, pp. 628-630, n.
96-100; SECRETARIAT FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY, Directorium ad ea quae a
Concilio Vaticano II de re oecumenica promulgata sunt exsequenda, "Acta
Apostolicae Sedis" 1967, pp. 574-592 (an updated edition is scheduled for
publication in 1989); PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS,
Critères généraux pour la collaboration æcuménique dans les communications
sociales, "Bulletin d'information" 80 (1971), pp. 65-66 (updated by this
present document). See also: SECRETARIAT FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY,
Reflections and Suggestions Concerning Ecumenical Dialogue, "Information
Service" 12 (1970), pp. 5-11; Common Witness and Proselytism, "Information
Service" 14 (1971), pp. 18-23; Ecumenical Collaboration at the Regional,
National and Local Levels, "Information Service"26(1975),pp.8-31; Sects
or New Religious Movements: Pastoral Challenge,"lnformation Service" 61
(1986), pp. 144-154. |
| 4 |
-There already exist the formulas of the ecumenical jury (e.g., those
of Cannes, Locarno, Montreal, Berlin...), of the ecumenical television week
(sponsored by UNDA, the international Catholic organization for radio and
television, and WACC, the World Association of Christian Communicators), of
ecumenical publications on communications (Comunicación), of joint meetings
(Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada-Associated Church
Press, USA), of ecumenical foundations (Interfaith Media Foundation), of
reciprocal consultations, of mutual financial aid, of common promotion and
consultation with secular networks. It is important to discern the value of such
initiatives and to see what further forms of common ecumenical projects there
can be. Those common ecumenical projects which have precise and concrete themes
will be all the more useful. |
| 5 |
-For example: whether or not to sponsor a joint celebration of World
Communications Day, taking advantage of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
for joint initiatives in the communications media, the expression of commonly
shared opinions on doctrinal and ethical questions, the establishment of an
ecumenical recognition for meritorious service in the field of social
communications, the preparation of joint catalogs... |
| 6 |
-OCIC: International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisuals
(General secretariat, B-1040 Brussels, 8 rue de l'Orme); UCIP:International
Catholic Union of the Press (General secretariat, CH-1211 Geneva 20 CIC, 37 39
rue de Vermont); UNDA: International Catholic organization for radio and
television (General secretariat, B-1040 Brussels, 12 rue de l'Orme). |
| 7 |
-Cf. SECRETARIAT FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY, Directorium ad ea quae a
Concilio Vaticano Secundo de re oecumenica promulgata sunt exsequenda. Pars
altera: De re oecumenica in institutione superiore, "Acta Apostolicae Sedis"
1970, pp. 705-724; CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION, Ordinationes ad
constitutionem apostolicam "Sapientia Christiana" rite exsequendam, "Acta
Apostolicae Sedis" 1979, pp. 500-521 (p. 513, art. 51, Indications on the
Teaching of Ecumenism among Theological Matters). |
| 8 |
-VATICAN COUNCIL II, Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, "Acta
Apostolicae Sedis" 1966, pp. 740-744; SECRETARIAT FOR NON-CHRISTIANS, Towards
the Meeting of Religions, Suggestions for Dialogue, "Bulletin" (supplement
n. 3) 1967, pp. 1-51; IDEM, The Attitude of the Church torwards the Followers
of Other Religions, Bulletin 1984, pp. 126-141; COMMISSION FOR RELIGIOUS
RELATIONS WITH JUDAISM, Guidelines and Suggestions for Implementing the
Conciliar Declaration "Nostra Aetate" (n. 4), "Information Service" 26
(1975), pp. 1-7. |
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