World Communications Day

04 May 2008

The Catholic Church around the world celebrates World Communications Day on 4 May.  The Pope’s message on this special day is entitled ‘The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others’.  cliftondiocese.com marks this day with a podcast featuring a local journalist discussing the Pope’s statement and her job as a journalist and how her faith relates to that.

Jayne Warren is the assistant editor of the national title ‘Mature Times’.  She talks with us about Catholic communications and her varied work in the media. 

Jayne highlight’s the Pope’s notion that there’s a need for “info-ethics”.  The Holy Father says, “When communication loses its ethical underpinning and eludes society’s control, it ends up no longer taking into account the centrality and inviolable dignity of the human person.”  Jayne wholeheartedly agrees with Pope Benedict’s suggestion and describes how her faith is intrinsically linked into her work as a journalist. 

Jayne also talks about the role of “actions” as a key communications method.  She highlights the work of Clifton Cathedral; in particular the professionalism of the small group of people who work there, as an example of communicating through actions.  The Polish Catholic community in Bristol is also cited as an exemplary communicative body. 

You can listen to Jayne in our podcast in the multimedia panel on the right.

The Clifton Diocese sees communication as an important part of its work.  Recent highlights include our ‘Let Us Pod’ podcast series and our win at the Jerusalem awards.  One of our priests has a regular radio slot reviewing culture and only last month we released a series of acclaimed videos for Vocations Sunday.  Our diocese now has two enthusiastic and talented World Youth Day communications officers and a few weeks ago one of our Sound of Many Waters events was the focus for a four hour live broadcast on the BBC.  Of course, cliftondiocese.com brings you all the latest news and events with many colourful images and interesting audio.  We are updated every day with your news and views.   And that level of coverage relies on the Catholics around the diocese who make their news known; and who photograph and write in their spare time to ensure the good work their local community does is taken to a wider audience.  We’re always looking for more contributors from around Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire to send your stories and pictures.  It couldn’t be easier - just following the links available all over the website.  We have received a commendation from the Churches’ Media Council for our online output and to help spread the word you can download a high quality poster informing people about cliftondiocese.com.  Just click the link in the multimedia panel on the right.  Print it out and put it up. 

This year’s World Communications Day reflects on the important role the media plays in the lives of individuals and, of course, society.   The Holy Father says, “Truly, there is no area of human experience, especially given the vast phenomenon of globalization, in which the media have not become an integral part of interpersonal relations and of social, economic, political and religious development.”

A collection for the Catholic Communications Network (CCN) takes places throughout the Clifton Diocese and in all dioceses in England and Wales.  CCN provides support for the Bishops of England and Wales in promoting the gospel in the media.

You can download the postcard prepared by the CCN for World Communications Day in the multimedia panel on the right.

Pope Benedict XVI’s message for World Communications Day is available from the Vatican’s regularly updated website. 

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