Catholic media professionals should proclaim the Gospel, says Father Lombardi

Fatima, Portugal, Sep 18, 2009 / 16:23 pm

The Director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, said this week that Catholics in the media should above all “be believers and Christians. We want the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be known and understood through the testimony of the Church.  If this does not happened, we are wasting our time,” he said.
 
During his remarks at the Day of Social Communications being held in Fatima, Portugal, the Vatican spokesman said Catholics in the media “are not people who spread political propaganda, nor are they defenders of special interests or mere journalism professionals.”
 
Today there are many possibilities for the Church to use the media “in the service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he continued. After noting that there are journalists of all stripes in today’s media and that they should not be all automatically seen as sinister or ill-intentioned, Father Lombardi underscored that it is important to help guide them in the right direction, “so they may be able to provide good information, as long as they are willing to do so.”
 
Father Lombardi said the Church’s Magisterium is a crucial reference point for Catholics in the media, and he urged them to always use “clear, simple and understandable language that is not abstract or complicated or technical.”  “Always speaking the truth is the fundamental premise for confronting even the most difficult situations,” he said.