CRITICAL NEEDS OF THE CHURCH AND THE MEANS OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D.
Bishop of Camden
Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan-who is perhaps best known for his phrase, “the medium is the message” (meaning that the qualities of a given medium convey information and serve to condition the information the medium transmits)-wrote in his work, Understanding the Media, “Today, after more than a century of electric technology, we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned.” More than forty years ago, McLuhan saw an “electronic nervous system” connecting every corner of the planet in a kind of global village, collapsing time and distance.
He also noted that any medium is an extension of ourselves, whether it be language, the written word or some product of the electronic media. Because any medium is an extension of ourselves, it can be said that it reflects our values, our hopes, our aspirations. As extensions of ourselves, the media are really instruments or tools that allow us to establish and strengthen our connections with one another, to increase understanding, and to better our world.
The Church has been rightly concerned about the tools of communication and the
opportunities for their proper use. Just months before McLuhan’s Understanding the Media hit academic circles in 1964, the Church promulgated Inter Mirifica, the “Decree on the Means of Social Communications.” It said, “Man’s genius has with God’s help produced marvelous technical inventions.”
“Marvelous technical inventions.” The words of the Council Fathers show that for the Church even 40 years ago, there was no ambivalence about technology and its potential.
Indeed, these technological advances enable us-when responsibly, ethically and properly used-to reach people in every corner of the globe for the benefit of the common good, with morally edifying content, and in the case of the Church, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The title of the pastoral instruction which followed six years later, Communio et Progressio, sums up nicely how the Church sees the goal of communications technology namely, the unity (communio) and advancement (progressio) of mankind.
Communications
Technology, a gift of God, and an extension of ourselves, must be utilized and its effectiveness judged by how well it contributes to improved understanding and unity among local communities and all peoples of the world, reflecting the unity (or communion) found in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Today, the technological landscape has progressed to a degree perhaps unimaginable forty years ago. 98 percent of U.S. homes have at least one television set, and those sets are turned on for more than seven hours a day. 97 percent of television homes in the United States can receive cable television (and 70 percent do). About 80 million (70 percent) of homes in the U.S. have a personal computer and some estimate that there will be as many as 1 billion PC users worldwide by the year 2010. The advent and now widespread use of digital technology has transformed modern communications. Digital photographs and video can now be sent to the furthest ends of the earth, in an instant. The world-wide web takes to a new level the “electronic nervous system” envisioned by McLuhan. Email and cell-phones are no longer considered luxuries. Laptop computers, wireless networks, high-definition television, digital television and radio, satellite radio, video-on-demand, interactive video services, CD’s, DVD’s, the list goes on and on.
Today there are unprecedented channels of communication, with ever-greater control and customization entrusted to the individual using it, even as media ownership becomes increasingly consolidated in the hands of the few. Even the print media (whether books, magazines, newspapers) now rely heavily on digital technology.
As envisioned by Communio et Progressio, modern communications have erased the distance of oceans, have helped tear down barriers between men and women of every race and culture. New technology has made it possible for people in different time zones and under different political, governmental, cultural and religious systems to experience simultaneously the transforming events of our day. The pastoral instruction Aetatis Novae (“A New Era”) confirmed the predictions made in Communio et Progressio twenty years earlier when it noted that the communications technology of the modern era “is unifying humanity and turning it into what is known as a global village.” (AN, 1) Undoubtedly, new technology has helped contribute to a better-informed citizenry, has allowed the unprecedented sharing of entertainment and information, and now offers the potential to unite people as never before.
Yet, even here, we find cautionary notes. In the U.S. and elsewhere there is the talk of a great “digital divide,” as new technologies flourish in households of high education and income, but lag conspicuously behind in rural areas, among the elderly, minorities, and those of lower educational and income attainment. This situation is even more pronounced in undeveloped countries, where majorities of populations have not benefited from the technologies taken for granted in industrialized nations.
Meanwhile, the need for profit and the need to reach largest possible audience have had the negative effects that we were warned about decades ago. Media power has become concentrated in the hands of a few. In seeking to serve the broadest possible audience, the needs of minorities and other smaller populations are often ignored. In appeals to the lowest common denominator, quality has been sacrificed through content that degrades human dignity and human sexuality, which glamorizes evil and violence and which elevates consumerism to new heights. New technology has created easy access points for all of this to enter our homes and offices.
Even as we are cautious about potential negative effects and concerned about the media’s right use, it does not diminish our opportunities (and really, obligation) to use the media to further the Church’s mission. Communio et Progressio notes, “The modern media offer new ways of confronting people with the message of the Gospel.” (CP, 128). I like the word “confront” in this passage because it suggests not a lack of charity in our approach to evangelization, but rather that we must come face to face with the need to evangelize in today’s time and place, even in the presence of defiance, hostility or indifference. It emphasizes that we must come face to face with the need to use modern communications technology to fulfill the Church’s mission. It also conveys that this evangelization still must be face to face-that is, personal and connected-even when great distances are involved.
With this in mind, I offer the following reflections on some of the critical needs of the Church as it pertains to its use of modern tools of social communications:
1) Communicate the Truth
It is important first and foremost that we do not lose sight of the need to constantly communicate the truth. I mean “truth” in three senses: first, that all communication through the media, including communication by the Church, must be presented truthfully, accurately and reliably. This means communicating honestly and openly, with an appropriate level of transparency, with the Catholic faithful and with the public, even in sensitive matters. Truthfulness and honesty are virtues for every time and situation and give evidence of the respect we hold for one another.
As Communio et Progressio states:
“The normal flow of life and the smooth functioning of government within the Church require a steady two-way flow of information between the ecclesiastical authorities at all levels and the faithful as individuals and as organized groups….[T
]he spiritual riches which are an essential attribute of the Church demand that the news she gives out of her intentions as well as of her works be distinguished by integrity, truth and openness.” (CP 121).
Secondly, “truth” also implies that the Church must work through the available means of communications to reflect the truth about the Church, its faith, its traditions and its practices. At a time when the Church is misunderstood, held with suspicion, and even contempt, we must find opportunities to accurately tell the true story of our faith.
Communio et Progressio reminds us:
It is the mission of those with responsible positions in the Church to announce without fail or pause the full truth…so as to give a true picture of the Church and her life. Since the media are often the only channels of information that exist between the Church and the world, a failure to use them amounts to “burying the talent given by God.” (CP 123).
Finally, I mean “truth” most especially in the sense that the Church is really in the business of communicating The Truth-Jesus (who is the Way, the Truth and the Life)-and the redemption won for us through his suffering, dying and rising.
2) Use language that is clear and intelligible
Often Jesus spoke to his contemporaries in the form of parables. Yet, he didn’t talk down to the people of his day or water-down his message. He challenged them, but spoke to them where they were, adapted his message to their time, conditions and circumstances.
If you’ve ever picked up a trade journal and perused the articles there, you’ve probably been overwhelmed by jargon and technical language. Insiders will get it, but the content will be lost on most everyone else. Every organization struggles with this, and the Church is no different in this regard. I am not suggesting that the Church sacrifice linguistic precision, which is always necessary when communicating complex theological concepts. Rather, the message that is being communicated must be clear and intelligible to the average person. Not dumbed down or diluted, just clear. Communio et Progressio says, “For the Church has been ordered by God to give men the message of salvation in a language they can understand and to involve herself in the concerns of man.” (CP 125)
3) Craft messages for audiences that are increasingly diverse
According to the 2000 United States Census, there are 35.3 million Hispanics in the United States, or 12.5% of the total population. Since 1990, the nation’s Hispanic population has increased 58%, up from a total of 22.4 million in 1990. Seven states-including New Jersey and Texas-now have more than one million Hispanic residents.
This, along with the growth in other populations in the United States, has meant that the Church in the United States has become increasingly diverse and multi-cultural. Even as we strive for unity in our diversity, we do not seek to minimize the cultural differences and legitimate forms of religious expression that serve to enrich the Church. As such, the
Church’s communication efforts in the next century must focus on reaching diverse populations in their native languages and with messages that will resonate with these faith communities. As Aetatis Novae states, the “Church must always communicate its message in a manner suited to each age and to the cultures of particular nations and peoples…” (AN, 8).
4) Use electronic media as well as print media
A 2004 Pew Research Center for the People and the Press study showed the changing trends in how the public uses the media (particularly for news coverage). Newspaper readership dropped from 58 percent in 1993 to 42 percent in 2004 and twice as many Americans say they now get their news from TV rather than newspaper. Broadcast stations have lost viewers to cable television, while there have been dramatic increases in those who now obtain news online. The decline in the use of print media is even more pronounced among the young (only 39 percent of 18-24 year olds read newspapers, down from 73 percent in 1971).
This points to the need to utilize all of the media tools at the Church’s disposal. In addition to magazines and newspapers, which still meet a critical need, the Church must make full use of the electronic media-particularly video-to communicate its message. The advantage of video is not only that it is being used by the public more frequently than print, but that the particular characteristics of the medium (visual and audio) can showcase messages in a much more compelling and memorable way.
Unfortunately, radio and broadcast television can be cost-prohibitive and, in the United States, the relaxing of federal regulations has only ensured an acceleration of media concentration in the hands of a few. Nonetheless, it is my hope that we can renew our efforts to find some way to establish a high-quality, national television presence in our respective countries. A national television presence would present a vision of the Church and the faith that does not elevate one expression of the faith to the exclusion of other authentic expressions, or promote one ideology over others. A national approach would also permit a pooling of resources at a time when many dioceses simply cannot afford the high upfront capital costs and on-going operational expenses of mounting a television ministry. With the exception of the cable success of EWTN, there has been no national television ministry to supplement the good work that is being accomplished in many individual dioceses. Affordable alternatives to broadcast television now exist with cable television, where specialized cable networks are launched every year.
Locally, cable leased access and public access venues also present opportunities. Additionally, CD-ROM/DVD and video should continue to be essential components in the Church’s media plan. Of course, the Internet is now ubiquitous and is heavily used by the young. The Church must continue to build on the efforts already made to assure a strong Internet presence for the Church.
5) Importance of the Catholic press and Diocesan press
Finally, I believe that it is essential to support and sustain a strong Catholic press, particularly at the diocesan level. In many dioceses economic pressures have led to the abandonment of weekly publications. I do not think this is a good trend. In my view the diocesan press remains one of the best and most cost-effective means of reaching the Catholic people with news and information about the Church, their diocese, their parish, their faith. It provides opportunities for spiritual enrichment, evangelization, and pastoral instruction. While we should always be open to exploring new formats and approaches, I believe that the frequency of weekly contact is best.
We also must find ways to expand the circulation of diocesan publications to reach the people who aren’t coming to Mass each week, who aren’t contributing to our parishes, who would benefit from learning more about the good work of the Church and its ongoing witness to Jesus.
This is an exciting time to be involved in Church communications. The opportunities for spreading the Good News of Jesus-of helping people to know Jesus more intimately, to love Jesus more ardently and to live Jesus more totally-are growing every year. The opportunities for reaching more of our people, for breaking down the barriers of time and distance, of bringing about “communio” and understanding between peoples (the theme of World Communications Day 2005), are available to us. Let us renew the sense of urgency called for by the Church Fathers four decades ago when they said, “All members of the Church should make a concerted effort to ensure that the means of communication are put to [use] without delay and as energetically as possible.” (IM, 13).