Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The pope said on today's celebration of the Ascension and just days before Pentecost Sunday, that we must "call upon Mary's help for the gift of the Holy Spirit for all those operating within the field of communications so that that they perform their work according to a genuine apostolic spirit".

Today, which also marks the Church's celebration of World Communications Day, John Paul II dedicated words to this topic prior to the Regina Caeli noontime prayer. The pope, when speaking to a crowd of pilgrims gathered below his apartment window in a rainy St. Peter's Square, said the media was a valuable educational tool, but that is was also necessary for parents to take responsibility and be involved along with public institutions so that "improper and even distorted viewpoints" do not infiltrate homes and society.

 Below we offer the words of the pope's address (translation by AsiaNews):

"Today In Italy and other countries the liturgy of our Lord's Ascension is being celebrated. On this feast day we are reminded how mankind, which was taken on and redeemed by Christ, was raised up to full communion with God. This very Sunday is also dedicated to World Communications Day. The Church respectfully pays much attention to what operators in this sector do and desires to have open and frank dialog with them so as to encourage them along a commitment to the genuine progress of humanity. 

The theme of this year's World Communications Day invites us to reflect on the Media in the Family: A Risk and Valuable Resource. Thanks to modern technology, many families have direct access to a vast amount of information and media resources which together offer a means for education, cultural enrichment and spiritual growth.

The media can, however, bring great harm to families when presenting improper or even distorted views of life, the family, religion, and morality. We must learn how to use them both wisely and prudently.

Parents, above all, have the duty to be concerned about their use. It is their responsibility to provide their children with a healthy and balanced education. Public institutions, too, have to enact regulations and procedures to guarantee that the media are respectful of the truth and common good.

In the days before Pentecost call we must call upon Mary's help for the gift of the Holy Spirit for all those operating within the field of communications so that that they perform their work according to a genuine apostolic spirit".

Following the Regina Caeli, John Paul II said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re would serve as his special envoy at the celebrations in Assisi to mark the 750th anniversary of the Basilica of St. Francis.

The pope also reminded faithful that next Saturday, on the eve of Pentecost Sunday, he would preside over Vespers at 6.00 p.m. in St. Peter's, while extending an open invitation, especially to members of the Renewal in the Spirit Movement, to join him in "praying so that we and the whole Church will be filled with an abundance of the Holy Spirit."

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