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Technology is neutral, but communication is priority for ChurchPosted: 06.05.09 “Communication is an absolute priority for the Church,” Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications at the Vatican told an audience of Catholic media professionals last week. That statement is one of a dozen core messages and another four dozen key elements that came out of a recent working group. These eventually will be formed into a letter from Pope Benedict XVI, but it also may be a more fluid document, taking shape on the World Wide Web so that it can be updated more easily as technology changes in response to communication needs. Above all, we remembered that our line of work is different from the other kinds of media because it is a ministry of the word. Technology is important, but communication is not about technology, the Vatican official said. Ours is an incarnational community, and we need to remember that we call people into a real community, not simply a virtual community. We are in relationship with a God who is interpersonal, Msgr. Tighe said. Members of the Catholic Press Association – those involved in newspaper, magazine and book publishing in the U.S. and Canada – joined with their peers in radio, TV and film from the Catholic Academy for Communications Arts Professionals last week in California for a Catholic Media Convention. In this time when the media industry is struggling to find the answers for survival, it was vital to gather to help each other find answers to the questions that burn in our hearts. How do we find sustainable models for business when even secular publications are experiencing unprecedented problems? How do we connect with readers who still want a print publication delivered to their homes and churches as well as those who want to find Catholic information in electronic form? But above all, we remembered that our line of work is different from the other kinds of media because it is a ministry of the word. Our basic purpose is to spread the Gospel message, and that’s not the purpose of your local newspaper or TV station. Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco, who celebrated Mass and preached the homily May 28 for the Catholic Media Convention, said that the technology of communications is neutral. The medium itself is neither good nor bad. The message can be positive or helpful – as some news stories and features, as well as TV shows and films can be – or it can be destructive, bringing down the dignity of the human person. For the last five years, it has been my privilege to serve as associate publisher of this newspaper. I was able to build upon the strong foundation left by the editors who preceded me. It is my hope that along the way, the staff of the Florida Catholic has provided you an uplifting message. This past week, the staff was honored with four awards from the Catholic Press Association, two from the South Florida Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and one more from the National Right to Life Committee. A few weeks ago, the publication received six awards from the Associated Church Press, the oldest interdenominational religious press association in North America. It’s important to receive accolades from our peers in journalism, but it’s far more gratifying when we hear from readers who tell us that a certain story made a difference in their lives or brought them closer to the sacraments. All my professional life, I have worked for Catholic publications because I believe, as Msgr. Tighe told us, “Communication is an absolute priority for the Church.” As I move north in July to begin a new phase of my ministry at the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, I thank the staff of the Florida Catholic for their dedication to this priority, and I thank you, our readers, for your openness to our stories of the people of God in Florida.
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