MESSAGE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE XX WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE XX WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Theme: Social Communications and the Christian Formation of Public Opinion
Dear brothers and sisters,
1. The recent Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, did not set out merely to be a solemn commemoration of that event, which was destined to mark so deeply the life of the Church in this century; more importantly, it brought the Council's spirit to life again and recalled anew its teachings and decisions. Thus, the Synod took the Second Vatican Council and relaunched it into the Church's life.
Among the iniliatives given birth by a directive of the Council there is one which is worthy of special mention. It is the annual World Communications Day, established in the first place "to strengthen more effectively the various forms of the Church's apostolate in the field of communications in all the dioceses of the world" (Inter Mirifica, l8). The decision to establish it, which shows what great importance the Council Fathers attributed to social communications, is seen to have even greater relevance today, with the ever growing influence of the communications media.
