Pope: the Church communicates with fearless witness

"Communicating with witness, communicating by engaging in communication, communicating with the substantives of things, communicating as martyrs, that is, as witnesses to Christ: as martyrs". This is the task that Francis sees entrusted to those in the Church who deal with communications, highlighted today at his audience with the Vatican’s Communications Dicastery.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Communicating with witness, communicating by engaging in communication, communicating with the substantives of things, communicating as martyrs, that is, as witnesses to Christ: as martyrs". This is the task that Francis sees entrusted to those in the Church who deal with communications, highlighted today at his audience with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications.

In an unscripted speech, Francis claimed that at the origin of all communication is God's desire to communicate, God who communicates within Himself and communicates to us. "This is the beginning of communication: it is not an office job, like advertising, for example: no. Communicating is just taking from the Being of God and having the same attitude; not being able to remain alone: ​​the need to communicate what I have and I think that it is the truth, the just, the good and the beautiful ”.

And, he continued, "one communicates with the soul and with the body, with the mind and with the heart, with the hands; one communicates with everything". The true communicator gives all of himself, he puts his whole self into communication, he does not spare himself.  You must not just be another form of advertising. You must not proselytize”.

The Church does not grow except by attraction and communication must be a witness. "If you want to communicate only one truth that is devoid of goodness and beauty, stop, don't do it. If you want to communicate a truth that is more or less the truth, but without involving yourself, without bearing witness with your life, with your own flesh, then that truth, stop, don't do it. There is always the sign of the witness in everything we do. Witnesses: Being Christian means being a witness. Martyrs. This is the martyrical dimension of our vocation: to be witnesses."

The second thing that Francis focused on is “don't be afraid; are we too few? Yes: but with the desire to be 'missionary', to show others who we are. Through our witness, once more, I repeat that phrase of St. Francis to his friars, when he sent them to preach: "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, even with words", that is witness in the first place ".

"Your communication - he finally said - is austere but beautiful: beauty is not of rococo art, beauty does not need these rococo things; beauty manifests itself from the same noun, without strawberries in the cake. I believe this must be learned. Communicating with witness, communicating by engaging in communication, communicating with the substantives of things, communicating as martyrs, that is, as witnesses to Christ: as martyrs ”.

In the speech that was prepared and that was delivered to those present, we read, among other things, “It is the first time I have met you all together since, four years ago, the process of unification began in a new Dicastery of the Roman Curia of all the realities that, in different ways, dealt with communication (see Motu proprio The current context of communications 27 June 2015). Reforms are almost always tiring, including that of Vatican media. There may have been particularly difficult stretches of road, there may also have been misunderstandings, but I am happy to see that the journey goes on with foresight and prudence. I know of the effort you have made to make the best use of the resources entrusted to you, containing the unproductive costs".

"For the Church, communication is a mission. No investment is too great to spread the Word of God. At the same time every talent must be well spent, made to bear fruit. The credibility of what we say is also measured on this. Furthermore, to remain faithful to the gift received, one must have the courage to change, never to feel realized, or to become discouraged. We must always get back in the game, leave behind our false security and embrace the challenge of the future. To anticipate the times is not to extinguish the memory of the past, but to keep the fire alive”.