In his message for the 55th World Communication Day, Pope Francis says that Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” is the way in which the Christian faith is communicated.
By the Vatican News staff reporter
“The call to ‘come and see’ … is the method for all authentic human communication,” said Pope Francis in his Message for the 55th World Communication Day. The Vatican released the text of the papal message on Saturday, the eve of the feast of Saint Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists.
“This year,” said Pope Francis, “I would like to dedicate this message to the invitation to ‘come and see’, which can serve as inspiration for all communications that strive to be clear and honest, in the press, about the the Internet, in the daily preaching of the Church and in political or social communication. ”This theme recalls the Gospel account of the first disciples’ first encounters with Jesus, who invited them to“ come and see, ”to establish a relationship. to enter into with Him. Later, in a conversation with his friend Nathaniel, one of those disciples, St. Philip, invited him to see the Messiah he had found.
“That is how the Christian faith begins, and how it is communicated: as direct knowledge, born from experience and not from rumors. Pope Francis says. He explains that seeing something for yourself is the best way to get to the truth of things, and “ the fairest test of any message, because to know we have to let the person speak for me, to get his or her testimony to reach me. “
Going out on the street
Pope Francis is sharply critical of the tendency to reduce news to prepackaged, self-referential sound bites, reflecting only the concerns and views of the ‘powers that be’.
This leads to an information flow “created in newsrooms” that does not accurately reflect the reality on the spot. Instead, he says, we should instead “ take to the streets ” to see things we wouldn’t otherwise know, share knowledge that otherwise wouldn’t circulate, and have encounters that otherwise wouldn’t happen.
The courage of journalists
Journalists in particular, says Pope Francis, must be willing to go where no one goes, must have the desire to see things for themselves – a “curiosity, an openness, a passion.” He praised the courage of high-risk journalists to share the stories of those being oppressed, of the suffering of the poor and of creation, of forgotten wars. “It would be a loss, not only for news reports, but also for society and for democracy as a whole, if those voices faded,” he says. “Our entire human family would be impoverished.”
Pope Francis notes that many situations today require someone to see things as they really are. Too often, he says, we run the risk of seeing things only through the eyes of the richer part of the world. This can lead to a difference between the news we receive and what is actually happening.
Opportunities and risks of the internet
Pope Francis also points out the importance of modern means of communication, especially the Internet. “The Internet, with its myriad of social media outlets, can expand the capacity for reporting and sharing, with far more eyes on the world and a constant stream of images and testimonials.” This allows many more people to share their stories and witness what they see and hear.
At the same time, Pope Francis warns of “the risk of misinformation being spread on social media,” which has now become “clear to all.” The Internet is “a powerful tool,” said the Pope, requiring a great deal of caution and responsible care from us, producers and consumers of information alike, in using it. “We are all responsible for the communication we make, for the information we share, for the control we can exercise over fake news by exposing it,” he says. “We must all bear witness to the truth: go, see, and share.”
Not a substitute for seeing with our own eyes
Pope Francis emphasizes that “in communication nothing can ever completely replace seeing things personally.” Some things, he emphasizes, “can only be learned through first-hand experience.”
The message of Jesus was inseparable from the personal encounter with Him. Indeed in Him – the incarnate Logos – the Word got a face; the invisible God was seen, heard and touched. “
This is true of all communication, which can only be effective if it involves others in an encounter, an experience, a dialogue, says Pope Francis. The gospel is spread through personal encounters, as evidenced by the experience of those who met Jesus or who heard Paul’s message. “Likewise, the gospel comes alive in our day, whenever we accept the compelling testimony of people whose lives have been changed by their encounter with Jesus.”
“For two millennia, a series of such encounters has highlighted the attractiveness of the Christian adventure,” said Pope Francis. “So the challenge that awaits us is to communicate by meeting people, where they are and as they are.”
The Pope’s message ends with a prayer:
Lord teach us to go beyond ourselves,
and to search for the truth.
Teach us to go out and see,
teach us to listen,
not to harbor prejudices
or jump to conclusions.
Teach us to go where no one else will go
to take the time it takes to understand,
pay attention to the essence,
not to be distracted by the superfluous,
to distinguish false appearance from truth.
Give us the grace to recognize your homes in our world
and the honesty it takes to tell others what we have seen.