February is Catholic Press Month, when we recall the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the media: they are gifts of God, that in society individuals have a right to information about matters that concern them, and that news should always be communicated in a way that is true and complete, within the bounds of justice and charity.
That puts a special responsibility on Catholic media as we make use of communications media and reach out in Christian charity.
Speaking with the heart: Veritatem facientes in caritate is the theme of Pope Francis’ message for the 57th World Day of Social Communications, observed the Sunday before Pentecost. The message was published Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, and in it Francis shared a communications message as timely and important as any the Church has ever shared: the importance of communicators “communicating in a cordial way.”
The origin of the word cordial means “relating to the heart,” and so Francis is inviting us to proclaim truth to the most hardened of hearts with “the gentle strength of love.”
The Pope wants our words to do good for others and to touch even the “most hardened of hearts.” That’s only possible in our dramatic global climate if we convey the “gentle strength of love,” he said.
That’s a momentous task in a world that is "so inclined towards indifference and indignation, at times even on the basis of disinformation which falsifies and exploits the truth," the Pope said, emphasizing the importance of telling the truth “even if at times it is uncomfortable.”
The Holy Father encourages us all to seek and speak the truth charitably, and avoid communications that promote toxic relationships and hatred. Then he offers St. Francis de Sales as a worthy example in his willingness to dialogue patiently with all, even those who disagreed with him, making him “an extraordinary witness of God's merciful love.”
In 1971 the Vatican issued a pastoral instruction on communication entitled Communio et Progressio. It said the task of the Catholic press is “to balance, to complete and, if necessary, to correct the news and comments about religion and the Christian life. At one and the same time it will be a glass that reflects the world and a light to show it the way. It will be a forum, a meeting place for the exchange of views.”
One of my favourite quotes from that 1971 pastoral instruction is this: “Communication is more than the expression of ideas and the indication of emotion. Communication, at its most profound level, is the giving of self in love.”
As we examine our own lives and the media we consume, let’s see what we can do to communicate by giving ourselves in love.
If you missed donating to the B.C. Catholic/Catholic Press Collection last weekend, you can make an online donation through your parish here. The B.C. Catholic/Catholic Press Collection is the only second collection in the archdiocese that goes entirely to the parish, helping subsidize the cost of making the paper available to the parish. Please be as generous as you can. It’s never been so important for Catholics to have faithful and trustworthy media.