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The Press |
"Moreover,
seeing that the chief instrument employed by our enemies is the
press, which in great part receives from them its inspiration and
support, it is important that Catholics should oppose the evil
press by a press that is good, for the defense of truth, out of
love for religion, and to uphold the rights of the Church."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Dall'alto Dell'apostolico Seggio",
1890)
"Catholics
are encouraged to read Catholic publications regularly. Naturally
these must deserve the name of being Catholic. It is hard to see
how people can keep in touch with what is happening in the Church
without the Catholic press. Neither can people keep a Catholic
attitude towards what happens in the world without the help of
commentaries on the news written in the light of Christian
principles." (Pope Paul VI)
"The
Catholic press - and this includes reviews, magazines and
periodicals - can be marvelously effective in bringing a knowledge
of the Church to the world and a knowledge of the world to the
Church. It does this by imparting information and by stimulating
those processes by which public opinion is formed. There is,
however, no advantage in founding new publications if quantity is
achieved at the cost of quality and if the new injure the
old." (Pope Paul VI)
"We
have learned with not little joy that your press is a sturdy
champion of Catholic principles, that the Marconi Radio, whose
voice is heard in an instant round the world - marvelous invention
and eloquent image of the Apostolic Faith that embraces all
mankind - is frequently and advantageously put to use in order to
insure the widest possible promulgation of all that concerns the
Church, and We commend the good accomplished. But let those who
fulfill this ministry be careful to adhere to the directives of
the teaching Church even when they explain and promote what
pertains to the social problem; forgetful of personal gain,
despising popularity, impartial, let them speak 'as from God,
before God, in Christ' (II Corinthians ii: 17)." (Pope Pius
XII, "Sertum Laetitiae", 1939)
"An
anti-Christian press in religious and secular matters militates at
its expense, so that your effort and money are required by the
Catholic press." (Pope Leo XIII, "Custodi Di Quella Fede",
1892)
"Any
propaganda that deliberately misrepresents the real situation, or
that distorts men's minds with half-truths, selective reporting or
serious omissions, that diminishes man's legitimate freedom of
decision, this propaganda should be rejected." (Pope Paul VI)
"Our
Christian conscience should be deeply concerned about the way in
which sins against love and against life are often presented as
examples of 'progress' and emancipation. Most often, are they not
but the age-old forms of selfishness dressed up in a new language
and presented in a new cultural framework?" (Pope John Paul
II)
"Those
who have to keep the public informed must give the news quickly if
it is to appear fresh and interesting. Competition also obliges
them to do this and speed is often won at the price of accuracy.
The communicator has also to know the tastes and cultural level of
his public and to take into account its known preferences. And
when he comes to present the news, it is in the face of such
hazards that a communicator must remain faithful to the
truth." (Pope Paul VI)
"It
is hard for anyone to learn the whole truth and to pass this on to
others, but newsmen face an additional problem. Of its nature,
news is about what is new. So journalists deal with what has just
happened and with what is of present interest. More than that, out
of mass of material, they just select what they judge to be the
significant facts that will concern their audience. So it can
happen that the news reported is only a part of the whole and does
not convey what is of real importance." (Pope Paul VI)
"Can.
831 §1 Unless there is a just and reasonable cause, no member of
Christ's faithful may write in newspapers, pamphlets or
periodicals which clearly are accustomed to attack the Catholic
religion or good morals. Clerics and members of religious
institutes may write in them only with the permission of the local
Ordinary. §2 It is for the Episcopal Conference to lay down norms
determining the requirements for clerics and members of religious
institutes to take part in radio and television programs which
concern Catholic doctrine or morals." (1983 Code of Canon
Law)
"News
of any event, even if nothing but the bare fact is related, has
yet an aspect of its own which concerns morality in some way.
'This aspect, affecting human morals, must never be neglected; for
news of any kind provokes a mental judgment and influences the
will. The news-reader who worthily fulfils his task, should crush
no one by his words, but try rather to understand and explain as
best he can, the disasters reported and the crimes committed. To
explain is not necessarily to excuse; but it is to suggest the
beginning of a remedy, and consequently, to perform a task at once
positive and constructive'." (Pope Pius XII, "Miranda
Prorsus", 1957)
"Can.
2344 Whoever gives injury to the Roman Pontiff, a Cardinal of the
H.R.C., a Legate of the Roman Pontiff, to Sacred Roman
Congregations, Tribunals of the Apostolic See, and their major
Officials, and their own Ordinary by public journals, sermons, or
pamphlets whether directly or indirectly, or who excites animosity
or odium against their acts, decrees, decisions, or sentences
shall be punished by an Ordinary not only at the request of a
party but even by office with censures and, or order to accomplish
satisfaction, other appropriate penalties and penances for the
gravity of the fault and the repair of scandal." (1917 Code
of Canon Law)
"They
who desire to be of real service to the Church, and with their
pens heartily to defend the Catholic cause, should carry on the
conflict with perfect unanimity, and, as it were, with serried
ranks, for they rather inflict than repel war if they waste their
strength by discord. In like manner their work, instead of being
profitable and fruitful, becomes injurious and disastrous whenever
they presume to call before their tribunal the decisions and acts
of bishops, and, casting off due reverence, cavil and find fault;
not perceiving how great a disturbance of order, how many evils
are thereby produced. Let them, then, be mindful of their duty,
and not overstep the proper limits of moderation. The bishops,
placed in the lofty position of authority, are to be obeyed, and
suitable honor befitting the magnitude and sanctity of their
office should be paid them. Now, this reverence, 'which it is
lawful to no one to neglect,' should of necessity be eminently
conspicuous and exemplary in Catholic journalists." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Longinqua", 1895)
"The
press, of its power and nature, is of towering importance. Because
of its adaptability, because of its variety and of the number of
its publications, it can go into detail when reporting the news.
It can also comment on the news and, without boring the reader,
interpret it in a way that makes him think for himself. It is a
most useful complement to the audio-visual means of communication.
It is a most effective means of stimulating men's critical
faculties and of helping them form their own opinions. Since it is
able to deal with such a variety of material and since it can so
admirably encourage men to think, it has prime place in the
promotion of social dialogue." (Pope Paul VI)
"Man's genius has with God's help produced marvelous technical inventions from creation, especially in our times. The Church, our mother, is particularly interested in those which directly touch man's spirit and which have opened up new avenues of easy communication of all kinds of news, of ideas and orientations... The Church, our mother, knows that if these media are properly used they can be of considerable benefit to mankind. They contribute greatly to the enlargement and enrichment of men's minds and to the propagation and consolidation of the kingdom of God. But the Church also knows that man can use them in ways that are contrary to the Creator's design and damaging to himself. Indeed, she grieves with a mother's sorrow at the harm all too often inflicted on society by their
misuse." (Second Vatican Council)
"If news or facts and happenings is communicated publicly and without delay, every individual will have permanent access to sufficient information and thus will be enabled to contribute effectively to the common good. Further, all of them will more easily be able to contribute in unison to the prosperity and the progress of society as a whole."
(Second Vatican Council)
"First
of all, a responsible press should be encouraged. If, however, one
really wants to form readers in a truly Christian spirit, an
authentically Catholic press ought to be established and
supported. Such a press, whether it be established and directed by
the ecclesiastical authorities or by individual Catholics, would
have for its manifest purpose to form, to consolidate and to
promote a public opinion in conformity with the natural law and
with Catholic doctrines and directives. It would also publish news
of the Church's life and informed comment on it. The faithful
should be reminded of the need to read and circulate the Catholic
press if they are to judge all events from a Christian
standpoint." (Second Vatican Council)
"The
reporting of violence and brutality demands a special care and
tact. There is no denying that human life is debased by violence
and savagery and that such things happen in our own time and
perhaps more now than ever before. It is possible to delineate all
this violence and savagery so that men will recoil from it. But if
these bloody events are too realistically described or too
frequently dwelt upon, there is a danger of perverting the image
of human life. It is also possible that such descriptions generate
an attitude or mind and, according to many experts, a psychosis
which escape the control of the very forces that unleashed it. All
this may leave violence and savagery as the accepted way of
resolving conflict." (Pope Paul VI)
"It
would be shameful if by their inactivity Catholics allowed the
word of God to be silenced or obstructed by the technical
difficulties which these media present and by their admittedly
enormous cost. For this reason the Council reminds them that they
have the obligation to sustain and assist Catholic newspapers,
periodicals, film-projects, radio and television stations and
programs. For the main aim of all these is to propagate and defend
the truth and to secure the permeation of society by Christian
values. At the same time it earnestly invites groups or
individuals who wield influence in technology or the economic
field to give generously of their resources and of their knowledge
for the support of the media, provided they are at the service of
authentic culture and of the apostolate." (Second Vatican
Council)
"The
recipients who piece together the news that comes to them in
fragments may well end up with an unbalanced or distorted idea of
the whole picture To a certain extent, accuracy can be restored by
the continuity of the flow from different sources, which must
always be carefully assessed. The recipients of information should
have a clear conception of the predicament of those that purvey
information. They should not look for a superhuman perfection in
the communicators. What they do have a right and duty to expect,
however, is that a rapid and clear correction should follow any
mistake or misrepresentation that has found its way into a report.
They are to protest whenever omissions or distortions occur. They
are to protest whenever events have been reported out of context
or in a biased manner. They are to protest whenever the
significance of events has been wildly exaggerated or underplayed.
This right should be guaranteed for recipients by agreement among
the communicators themselves and, if this cannot be got, then by
national law or international convention." (Pope Paul VI)
"Towards
these objects much may be contributed by those who have devoted
themselves to writing, and in particular by those who are engaged
on the daily press. We are aware that already there labor in this
field many men of skill and experience, whose diligence demands
words of praise rather than of encouragement. Nevertheless, since
the thirst for reading and knowledge is so vehement and widespread
amongst you, and since, according to circumstances, it can be
productive either of good or evil, every effort should be made to
increase the number of intelligent and well-disposed writers who
take religion for their guide and virtue for their constant
companion. And this seems all the more necessary in America, on
account of the familiar intercourse and intimacy between Catholics
and those who are estranged from the Catholic name, a condition of
things which certainly exacts from our people great circumspection
and more than ordinary firmness. It is necessary to instruct,
admonish, strengthen and urge them on to the pursuit of virtue and
to the faithful observance, amid so many occasions of stumbling,
of their duties towards the Church." (Pope Leo XIII, "Longinqua",
1895)
"That
part of the Catholic press which is of general interest publishes
news and opinions and background articles about all the facets and
the problems and worries of modern life. This it does in the light
of Christian principles. It is the task of the Catholic press 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. This press needs talented men and funds if its
professional competence is to be above dispute. The Catholic press
must be able to acquire suitable offices and the proper facilities
for obtaining news reports and features. Otherwise, a Catholic-run
press cannot effectively promote dialogue inside the Church and
between the Church and the outside world. It must also achieve
professional standards in printing up-to-date, accurate and
comprehensive news about the life of the Church. In the
collecting, collating and passing on the news throughout the world
there is need for cooperation at the international level."
(Pope Paul VI)
"It
is necessary with all care and diligence to procure the widest
possible diffusion of the teachings of the Church, even among the
working-classes. The minds of men must be illuminated with the
sure light of Catholic teaching, and their wills must be drawn to
follow and apply it as the norm of right living in the
conscientious fulfillment of their manifold social duties. Thus
they will oppose that incoherence and discontinuity in Christian
life which We have many times lamented. For there are some who,
while exteriorly faithful to the practice of their religion, yet
in the field of labor and industry, in the professions, trade and
business, permit a deplorable cleavage in their conscience, and
live a life too little in conformity with the clear principles of
justice and Christian charity. Such lives are a scandal to the
weak, and to the malicious a pretext to discredit the Church. In
this renewal the Catholic Press can play a prominent part. Its
foremost duty is to foster in various attractive ways an ever
better understanding of social doctrine. It should, too, supply
accurate and complete information on the activity of the enemy and
the means of resistance which have been found most effective in
various quarters. It should offer useful suggestions and warn
against the insidious deceits with which Communists endeavor, all
too successfully, to attract even men of good faith." (Pope
Pius XI, "Divini Redemptoris", 1937)
"Both
the communicators and the recipients ought to be aware of their
inherent dangers and difficulties. For instance, how can we ensure
that this swift and haphazard and endless stream of news is
properly evaluated and understood? The media are bound to seek a
mass audience and so they often adopt a neutral stance in order to
avoid giving offense to any section of their audience. How, in a
society that is committed to the rights of dissent, is the
distinction between right and wrong, and true and false, to be
made? How in the face of competition to capture a large popular
audience are the media to be prevented from appealing to and
inflaming the less admirable tendencies in human nature? How can
one avoid the concentration of the power to communicate in too few
hands so that any real dialogue is killed? How can one avoid
allowing communications made indirectly and through machinery, to
weaken direct human contact - especially when these communications
take the form of pictures and images? When the media invite men to
escape into fantasy, what can be done to bring them back to
present reality? How can one stop the media encouraging mental
idleness and passivity? And how can one be certain that the
incessant appeal to emotion does not sap reason?" (Pope Paul
VI)
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