Bob Nicholas

Benedict XVI: Media Have Urgent Duty

Addresses North American Communicators

TORONTO, MAY 28, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI thinks the value of communication lies in its truthfulness and respect for the common good, and media professionals have a duty to promote this.

The Pope affirmed this in a message he sent to the 2008 Catholic Media Convention taking place in Toronto, Canada, through Friday, on the theme “Proclaim It From the Rooftops.”

The conference has gathered some 500 members of the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals — professionals in the fields of Catholic print and audiovisual communications, as well as Catholic communications and public relations directors — for the purpose of spiritual, economic and professional development.

In the message, read by Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy Father expressed his wish that the conference “will be a fruitful time of spiritual growth and professional development.”

Citing “Spe Salvi,” the Pontiff said, “In a world where the ambiguity of progress is increasingly apparent the contribution of those in the media to the promulgation of truth, goodness and beauty becomes an ever more urgent duty and task.”

The Bishop of Rome expressed his confidence that “focused on Jesus Christ who is the truth which sets us free, the delegates will not only keep the ethical dimension at the forefront of their own ecclesial service but also resolve to seek ways to assist all who work in the media to recognize that the value of communication lies in its truthfulness and respect for the common good.”