MESSAGE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE XXXIII WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE XXXIII WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Theme: “Mass media: a friendly companion for those in search of the Father”
Sunday, May 16, 1999
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. We are approaching the Great Jubilee, the two thousandth anniversary of the Birth of Jesus Christ; the Word of God made flesh, the celebration which will open the door to the third Christian millennium. In this last year of preparation, the Church turns to God our Father, contemplating the mystery of his infinite mercy. He is the God from whom all life comes and to whom it will return; and he is the One who journeys with us from birth to death as our friend and companion on the way.
I have chosen as the theme for this year's World Communications Day "Mass media: a friendly companion for those in search of the Father". The theme implies two questions: how might the media work with God rather than against him? And how might the media be a friendly companion to those searching for God's loving presence in their lives? It also implies a statement of fact and a reason for thanks: that the media do at times make it possible for those who are searching for God to read in new ways both the book of nature, which is the realm of reason, and the book of revelation, the Bible, which is the realm of faith. Finally the theme implies an invitation and a hope: that those responsible for the world of social communications will be ever more committed to help rather than hinder the search for meaning which is at the very heart of human life.
