Monday, May 31, 2021

The Value of the Pastoral Instruction Communio et Progressio in the Age of ICT

Remarks for Webinar organized by the Dicastery for Communication on 21 May 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of Communio et Progressio 

        Reading Communio et Progressio 50 years after its release, one can easily recognize that the media landscape described in the document has drastically changed. Not only has the development of information and communication technology (ICT) brought into existence new forms media, particularly the internet and the multitude of associated applications (WWW, emails, chat applications, social media, etc.), that facilitates new ways of communication, technological convergence has brought previously separate forms of media into a single communication device. Thus, a tablet can serve as TV, computer, book, and newspaper all at the same time. Traditional forms of media such as newspapers either go online or go out of existence all together. In the United States alone, about 1,800 newspapers have closed since 2004.[1]

            The way of doing communication is also drastically different from what is described in the document. If technological convergence has made it difficult to draw clear distinctions between various forms of media, it has also blurred the line between “communicators” and “recipients.” In the age of ICT, the demarcation between the roles of producer and consumer of information has nearly been nearly demolished. Anyone with a social media account, and that numbers in the billions in the present, can be curators of information and communicators in their own right. No longer is influential communication the exclusive power of large media corporations and press institutions. Bloggers, YouTubers, social media influencers – even someone working alone from their basement – can garner an audience of millions of followers. Therefore, in many ways, the social communication forms and methods have drastically changed in the last 50 years, especially since the permeation of ICT into society.

            So what then is the value of Communio et Progressio in the contemporary milieu? It is important to remember that this document is one that contains pastoral instructions on the means of social communication. To this end, the document necessarily deals with the particular pastoral context of the time that it was written. Thus, much updating would be needed if a similar document would be written for the present time. Nonetheless, one thing that this document has proven not to at all outdated is the theological and ethical thrust of all social communication – the unity and advancement of humanity vis-à-vis one another and in relationship with God. The twofold aims of unity and advancement are stated succinctly and emphatically at the outset of the document itself.

            The Church recognizes that developments in media are gifts of the divine and can “serve to build new relationships and to fashion a new language which permits men to know themselves better and to understand one another more easily” (no. 12). The end goal of this relationship building, exhibited in mutual cooperation to build justice and peace, and promote good will, charity, and love, is ultimately the realization of communion within the human family. This communion is a reflection of the perfect communion of the Trinity comprised of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

            By tying “unity” and “advancement” together in a single phrase, the document affirms that these two realities cannot be mutually exclusive of one another. True advancement is not simply the invention of grander and more impressive technological systems and devices, the creation of more wealth, or the building of more powerful social and political organizations. True advancement must be evaluated in terms of the level of understanding and sympathy between men and women (no. 18), the contribution being made to the common good (no. 16), the degree of brotherhood and fruitful, creative cooperation (no. 19) – in other words, the degree of unity achieved.

            Social communication and communications media, as affirmed by the document, can be ways and means to achieve true progress (no. 21) when the instruments of communication are prudently used by communicators who truly desire to serve humanity (no. 72). This good intention, however, must be undergirded by communication characterized by sincerity, honesty and truthfulness (no. 17). Without morality governing the use of media, any kind of media, neither progress nor unity can truly take place.

            In context of the age of ICT, the teachings regarding social communication in Communio et Progressio not only remains relevant but more urgent than ever. The trends in ICT development are such that the results of communication in this modern age can be to greater extremes than previously possible. With the power of ICT, proper and prudent use can accomplish tremendous good in the world. However, the opposite is also true. With the pervasiveness of social media use in everyday life, difficulties in developing mechanisms for checking and eliminating fake news, misinformation and disinformation, and constant production of information in tremendous quantities every moment, communication based on deception and ill-will can lead to religious extremism, social polarization and political tribalism like never before. In short, ICT has the potential for both tremendous good and the greatest evil – in degrees previously unseen.

            A detailed study of the contemporary pastoral situation reveals that the age of ICT has brought new pastoral challenges as well as old pastoral challenges with new characteristics. Concerns for the family, for the formation of youth, for integral human development, for social justice, and for ecological well-being remain priorities for the Church – in many ways intensified by the development and propagation of ICT. The assertion of Communio et Progressio that true advancement must be exhibited in the unity of the human family remains valid criteria for judging the development and use of new media, and remain the aims of social communication. It seems that the reality of how ICT is being used in many ways is extremely worrisome. Thus, while the pastoral contexts described in Communio et Progressio may have evolved after 50 years, the basic theological and ethical thrust of the document continues to hold solid grounds and remains powerfully prophetic for our day.



[1] https://www.poynter.org/locally/2021/the-coronavirus-has-closed-more-than-60-local-newsrooms-across-america-and-counting/

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