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Nonetheless, one thing that this document has proven not to at all outdated is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/
