January 24, 2006

Have courage to tell truth, Pope tells world media

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in the first formal message to the media of his pontificate, said on Tuesday the media cannot be self-serving or profit-driven but must be accountable for the common good and promote human values.

"Authentic communication demands principled courage and resolve," the Pope said in the message for the Roman Catholic Church's annual World Day of Communications set for May 28.

Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd gathered in St Peter's square during his weekly Angelus prayers in the Vatican January 22, 2006. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)

"It requires a determination of those working in the media not to wilt under the weight of so much information nor even to be content with partial or provisional truths," the Pope said.

"Instead it necessitates both seeking and transmitting what is the ultimate foundation and meaning of human, personal and social existence," he said.

"In this way the media can contribute constructively to the propagation of all that is good and true."

In the message issued on the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, Pope Benedict said the media had to avoid oversimplifying things and undervaluing cultural differences and religious beliefs.

"These are distortions that occur when the media industry becomes self-serving or solely profit-driven, losing the sense of accountability to the common good," he said.

He said the media was always obliged to report events accurately, fully explain matters of public concern, and give fair representation to diverse points of view.

"The need to uphold and support marriage and family life is of particular importance, precisely because it pertains to the foundation of every culture and society," he said.

The Pope also said the media should help rather than hinder parents in bringing up their children.

"Do not our hearts cry out, most especially, when our young people are subjected to debased or false expressions of love which ridicule the God-given dignity of every human person and undermine family interests?" he said.

Contemporary media shapes popular culture, but it must not manipulate, especially the young, and instead pursue the desire to form and serve, he said.

"In this way they protect rather than erode the fabric of a civil society worthy of the human person," he added.

Several days after his election in April, the new Pope stressed the importance of the role of the media by granting journalists who had converged on Rome to cover his election the first audience for non-clergy of his pontificate.

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