VATICAN CITY, FEB. 22, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See has launched an initiative to encourage cooperation among Catholic television channels worldwide, proposing the writing of an «ideology» for such TV outlets.
With this objective, Archbishop Renato Boccardo, until today secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, presided at a meeting of Catholic television channels, held in Madrid last month.
Among those present were representatives of the Latin American bishops’ council; the episcopal conferences of Italy, Spain and Portugal; and television stations from Italy, Brazil and Spain.
«It was a first moment for an exchange of ideas, collection of suggestions, and questions on the part of those present,» Archbishop Boccardo told ZENIT.
«We did not arrive at a definition of this ‘ideology,'» he said. «It must be the fruit of a longer and above all more ample consultation with different people and entities involved in this sector, taking into account the documents of the magisterium of the Church.»
«Certainly, in our discussion the basic ideas already emerged: Catholic television, as all the means of communication of the Church, has a main objective, that of evangelization,» the prelate said.
«And evangelization is not carried out only in one way; there are different ways, using all the modern instruments, modern language, modern forms of communication, because, as Christians, we have the mission to communicate good news, as also today it continues to respond to the most profound expectations of the heart of man,» the Vatican official said.
In this context, Archbishop Boccardo announced that the Pontifical Council for Social Communications is planning to convoke a congress for Catholic television channels worldwide, to reflect on «the new constitutive ideas of a Catholic television project and, at the same time, to address cooperation among these entities.»
