Vatican City, May 4, 2017 / 06:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications, which is holding their first plenary assembly this week, that given a growing digital culture throughout the world, new media must become a primary platform for spreading the Gospel.
“Studying new ways and means to communicate the Gospel of mercy to all people, in the heart of different cultures, through the media that the new digital cultural context makes available to our contemporaries” is something that is “very much in my heart,” Pope Francis said May 4.
He spoke to members of his Secretariat for Communications, which was formed in June 2015 as part of his ongoing reform of the Roman Curia, during their first plenary assembly.
The assembly is taking place May 3-5 at the Vatican and gathers members of the secretariat, which is headed by Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigano.
In his audience with the plenary participants, Francis said the word “reform” is something we shouldn’t be afraid of. To reform, he said, isn’t just “repainting” things, but is rather “giving another form to things, organizing them in a different way.”
“And it must be done with intelligence, meekness, but also…also, allow me the word, with a bit of ‘violence,’” he said, but stressed that its a “good violence to reform things.”
More than just merging the Vatican’s various communications entities, the secretariat has the task of building “a truly new institution” that has arisen from the need for a “so-called ‘digital convergence,’” he said.
Whereas in the past each form of expression had its own medium in either newspapers, books, photographs, television, radio and CDs, now all of these forms of communications, are transmitted “with a single code that exploits the binary system.”
In this context, he pointed to the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, which will officially join the secretariat next year, saying it “will have to find a new and different way to reach a number of readers greater to what it can achieve in paper format.”
As of now the paper operates primarily in daily and weekly print format, with a limited online presence in its various languages.
Pope Francis also turned to Vatican Radio, which broadcasts papal and Vatican news several languages throughout the world, saying the entity will need to be revisited “according to new models and adapted to the modern technologies and needs of our contemporaries.”
He made a point to emphasize the attention Vatican Radio has given to broadcasting in countries will little access to technology, such as certain countries in Africa, noting that services to these places “have never been abandoned.”
In addition to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican Publishing House and the Vatican Typography office will also be merged into the greater working community of the secretariat, which is something the Pope said will require “availability to harmonize” with their “new productive and distributive design.”
“The work is great, the challenge is great, but it can be done. It must be done,” he said, stressing the need to for a willingness to work together as all of the changes and merges take place.
As the study commissions within the secretariat move forward in identifying new paths and proposals, the Pope told them to be “courageous” in the criteria they choose, asking that the guiding criteria be an “apostolic and missionary one, with special attention to situations of discomfort, poverty, difficulty.”
“In this way, it becomes possible to bring the Gospel to everyone, to optimize human resources, without replacing the communication of the local Churches and, at the same time, supporting the ecclesial communities most in need.”
He concluded his speech stressing the need to “not let ourselves be overcome by the temptation of attachment to a glorious past,” and encouraged members instead to make “a great effort of teamwork to better respond to the new communicative challenges that the culture of today asks of us, without fear and without imagining apocalyptic scenarios.”
Pope Francis established the Secretariat for Communications on June 27, 2015, with the promulgation of the motu proprio, “The current communication context.”
One of its primary responsibilities is the restructuring and consolidation of the Holy See’s various communications outlets, which were previously ran as individual offices.
The dicastery will eventually oversee Vatican Radio, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican Television Center, the Holy See Press Office, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Vatican Internet Service, the Vatican Typography, the Photograph Service, and the Vatican publishing house.
Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, previously head of Vatican Television, is prefect of the department. On April 12, 2017, the Pope named a group of 13 new consultors, including EWTN’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw
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“He also said he does not like ‘extremisms, either progressive, or traditionalist ones’ but believes ‘there is a via media’ which is the ‘correct path to take, even if each of us has his own peculiarities, because, thanks be to God, we do not repeat, we are not clones'(Cardinal Ladaria SJ).” Edw Pentin voiced cautious reserve in Pope Francis’ choice. Pentin noted concern of having two Jesuits in the foremost positions of authority in the Church. It’s the “via media” that is most concerning given that he has never expressed any concern whatsoever over AL. Via media is the Pontiff’s putative approach for communion for D&R in AL. What is striking regarding a middle ground narrowly measured approach in AL is far from what has transpired in those Nat Bishops Conf that have adopted AL and gone far beyond giving sanction to reliance on conscience. It seems considering what is said here Cardinal Ladaria SJ will amount to no more than a yes man. An effectual papal puppet. At least to his great credit Cardinal Mueller had the courage to warn the German Bishops. But who would think outlaw Card Reinhold Marx who previously said he would defy Rome in the mold of Martin Luther and follow his own perspectives on moral issues would pay attention to Card Mueller. Now the Pontiff no longer needs to deal with a Gadfly. He’s appointed a Gnat.
“The Vatican announced July 1 that taking Müller’s place will be Jesuit Archbishop Luis Ladaria, who was appointed secretary to the CDF by Benedict XVI in 2008, and is known to be simple, orthodox in his theology, highly intellectual and is described by those who know him as not being a ‘yes man’.”
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/07/02/cardinal-mller-theres-no-problem-between-me-pope-francis/
I hope he is a good Jesuit and not a bad one.
Oh, brother.
I don’t see how Ladaria is anything but a
“Yes” man as Fr. Morello’s excellent comment declares.
At some point, as Christ promised, the Holy Spirit will have to intervene because Pope Francis will actively move to deny Church doctrine.
“The Vatican announced July 1 that taking Müller’s place will be Jesuit Archbishop Luis Ladaria, who was appointed secretary to the CDF by Benedict XVI in 2008, and is known to be simple, orthodox in his theology, highly intellectual and is described by those who know him as not being a ‘yes man’.”
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/07/02/cardinal-mller-theres-no-problem-between-me-pope-francis/
The SJ is about the sexual revolution and their world-wide zeitgeist brand.
With exceptions for the orthodox ones I know I can trust, like Fathers Schall, Fessio and others like them, I begin with total distrust of anyone of SJ.
I wish their decadent order would disappear faster than they already are.
Just what Pope Francis wants – another yes man carrying water for his decadent 1960s “Kasper-Kirk” the new Church of man as god:
Quote Kasper: ” The God who sits enthroned over the world and history as a changeless being is an offense to man.” (Kasper, God in History, 1967).
Total arrogance.
I reject Pope F until the day he answers the dubia by unambiguously affirming FC, and upholding the word of Jesus against his henchman Kasper and his neo-Pharisee demand for divorce.
I thin a correction should be made in the article and instead of saying: “the most important dicastery in the Roman Curia”, it should be “formerly the most important dicastery…”, as it seems clear that the Pontiff doesn’t have much patience with doctrine. Otherwise, why would be refuse to answer the “dubia”? He is gung ho on changing the doctrine surreptitiously by means pastoral practice. Maybe Ladaria, being aJesuit, will be more docile, according to the Ignatian doctrine of “blind obedience”, or at least he will keep his mouth shut on AL. He is certainly not heterodox.
Oh I doubt Father Ladaria would be intimidated by his fellow Jesuit. Look at Father Fessio–he’s not ever been intimated
by his fellow priests, including his fellow Jesuit, the Pope.
Sick and tired of this man who sits in St. Peter’s chair.
He is not my pope until he answers the dubia.
How could one be concerned about the 4th of July celebrations when a whole new scandal is breaking about the sexual abuse of children, wholesale gay parties in the Vatican and how two of the advisors close to the pope are deeply involved in ongoing sexual activities in a place owned by the Vatican. Amazing, we thought the church had entered into a new era obviously nothing ever changes. These priests and even cardinals involved who practice the gay lifestyle in grand style are rife in the Vatican even those who direct the Liturgy are involved and many others. Some from Australia, Pell for one with many cases against him and those from America who have brought new gay life to the Vatican. It has been all over the radio today is Los Angeles, Radio KFI. Tomorrow it will be all over NY news. They were those that pushed the investigations against Cardinal Mahoney. Evidently, the time has come to leave the church as only a nod is given to these unforgivable acts and life goes on starting with the pope and ending with the lowest priest in any diocese. Obviously, there is no cure for these sins. Well, this will never be posted. God help us, evidently, this is just another Jesuits will be Jesuits. The elites? We don’t think so.
Kathy,I believe that God issues the call, but until these molesters and the bishops who shield them face justice,men who want to live a holy life will stay away from the priesthood. Thank God Pope Francis sent Pell back to Australia to face the music and answer to the law for his misdeeds.
Kathy,thank God Pope Francis sent Pell back to Australia to face the music. Men who want to to serve God will stay away from a priesthood where sin is allowed to flourish.
I hope this man is like Father Fessio an not like Bergoglio,I hope he is Orthodox an a Loyal Son of Jesus Christ……