LET’S BE “COMMUNICATORS OF HOPE”
In his first press conference after his election, Pope Leo XIV drew on the dream of his predecessor to lay out a vision for a world shaped by “communicators of hope.”
Today (June 1) being the 59th annual World Day of Social Communications as well as the Feast of the Ascension, the Church calls on us to reflect on the importance of mass communications in shaping world opinion and influencing events.
“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression,” Pope Leo told more than 1,000 journalists who gathered in an auditorium in Vatican City on May 12. “We do not need loud, forceful communication but rather communication that is capable of listening,” he added, according to the New York Times.
With these comments, he was amplifying the last papal message written by Pope Francis for this particular Sunday. In this message, released in January, Francis painted a picture in words recalling the great “I had a dream” speech of Martin Luther King:
“I dream of a communication capable of making us fellow travelers, walking alongside our brothers and sisters and encouraging them to hope in these troubled times. A communication capable of speaking to the heart, arousing not passionate reactions of defensiveness and anger, but attitudes of openness and friendship. A communication capable of focusing on beauty and hope even in the midst of apparently desperate situations…. A communication that can help us in ‘recognizing the dignity of each human being, and (in) working together to care for our common home’ (Dilexit Nos, 217).”
This dream of the late pope complements the theme of this Jubilee year that we all be “pilgrims of hope” in a world filled with darkness, fear, hatred and suffering. Francis saw hope as the antidote to the dominance of fake news designed to divide us into fearful tribes who are deaf and blind to the humanity we share with those with whom we disagree.
Now, Pope Leo reinforces this message, underlining the vital importance of free speech and professional journalism. “I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives — the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said at his press conference.
“Social communications” refers to mass media in all its forms, including the online world as well as traditional news channels. For 59 years, the Church has used this particular Sunday to address its importance to global well-being. In the last Communications Day message of Francis, we are all called to model ourselves after “the greatest communicator of all time,” Jesus of Nazareth. Citing the story of Jesus talking to two forlorn disciples on the road to Emmaus, Francis notes how Christ “made their hearts burn within them” through the power of his words.
For us, the challenge is clear: “Tell stories steeped in hope. . . and strive to write together the history of our future.”
Joseph Sinasac is a retired Publishing Director of Novalis Publishing. He has been involved with religious communications for almost 45 years as an author, journalist, editor and TV and radio commentator on all things Catholic.
