“Dialogue is only possible when there is an attitude of openness to the other…”

The great Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, spoke at the Catholic Media Conference this morning.

Some of his remarks:

The key question for Catholic media professionals is to consider how best we can be present in this emerging digital arena. Pope Francis in his message for this year’s World Communications Day on the theme, “Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter”, recognized the extraordinary potential for good which digital media can have in bringing people closer together. They can create a greater sense of unity and solidarity within the human family and they can serve to promote respect for the dignity of every human person. He notes: “Good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity”, but insists that “the walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another.” He stresses that communication should always be understood as a human rather than a technological achievement and that social networks are ultimately constituted by people rather than wires or cables.

Notwithstanding, the “newness” or “difference” of the digital arena, the Church must endeavour to be present if the Word of God is to encounter people fully in this dimension of their lives. In his message, Pope Francis encourages believers to be present and to join their fellow pilgrims on life’s journey. Drawing on the story of the Apostles on the road to Emmaus, he says: “We have to be able to dialogue with the men and women of today, to understand their expectations, doubts and hopes, and to bring them the Gospel, Jesus Christ himself, God incarnate, who died and rose to free us from sin and death.  We are challenged to be people of depth, attentive to what is happening around us and spiritually alert.”  The Pope highlights the figure of the Good Samaritan in his response to the question as to what it means to be a “good neighbour” in the digital arena.  He says: “May the light we bring to others not be the result of cosmetics or special effects, but rather of our being loving and merciful ‘neighbours’ to those wounded and left on the side of the road”.

In this context, the Pope stresses the significance of dialogue. Dialogue is only possible where there is a fundamental attitude of openness to the other, a willingness to listen to his or her deepest questions and to respectfully share with them our own hopes and joys. Together with other people of good will, we will attempt to understand the fullness of what it means to be a human person and how we can create a society where all are valued.  When meeting with Brazil’s Bishops last year, Pope Francis noted: “In many places, generally speaking, due to the economic humanism that has been imposed in the world, the culture of exclusion, of rejection, is spreading. There is no place for the elderly or for the unwanted child; there is no time for that poor person in the street. At times, it seems that for some people, human relations are regulated by two modern “dogmas”: efficiency and pragmatism. … Have the courage to go against the tide of this culture of efficiency, this culture of waste. Encountering and welcoming everyone, solidarity – a word that is being hidden by this culture, as if it were a bad word – solidarity and fraternity: these are what make our society truly human.”

Too often in social media, the tone of the debates can be very critical or very negative. Here Pope Francis stresses a positive approach, in saying: “We need to resolve our differences through forms of dialogue which help us grow in understanding and mutual respect.  A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive.  Media can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the networks of human communication have made unprecedented advances.”

The sentiments of Pope Francis in this regard echo the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who in his message for WCD 2103  “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization.”, had emphasized that: “ The social media thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation…‘Given the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful’.  This quotation is itself an elaboration of the profound insight that Benedict had expressed in 2010 Lisbon when meeting with the world of culture: “The Church, in her adherence to the eternal character of truth, is in the process of learning how to live with respect for other “truths” and for the truth of others. Through this respect, open to dialogue, new doors can be opened to the transmission of truth”.