In his message for the 55th World Communications Day, Pope Francis says that Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” is the way in which the Christian faith is communicated.
By Vatican News staff reporter
“The call to ‘come and see’ … is the method for every authentic human communication,” says Pope Francis in his Message for the 55th World Communications Day. The Vatican launched on Saturday, on the eve of the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists, the text of the Pope’s Message.
“This year,” says Pope Francis, “I would like to dedicate this Message to the invitation to“ come and see, ”which can serve as inspiration for all communications that strive to be clear and honest, in the press, on the Internet, in the daily preaching of the Church and in political or social communication. “This theme recalls the Gospel account of the early meetings of the first disciples with Jesus, who invited them to” Come and see, “to enter into a relationship with Him. Later, one of the these disciples, St. Philip, speaking with his friend Nathaniel, invited him to “Come and see” the Messiah he had found.
“This is how the Christian faith begins and how it is communicated: as direct knowledge, born from experience and not from hearsay. says Pope Francis. He explains that seeing something for himself is the best way to get to the truth of things and “the most honest test of every message, because in order to know, we have to meet, let the person in front of me speak , to let his or her testimony reach me. ”
Hitting the streets
Pope Francis sharply criticizes the tendency to reduce the news to pre-packaged, self-referential sounds, reflecting only the concerns and views of the “powers.”
This leads to a flow of information “created in newsrooms”, which does not accurately reflect the reality on the ground. Rather, he says, we need to “take to the streets,” to see things we wouldn’t otherwise know, to share knowledge that would not otherwise flow, and to have meetings that would not otherwise take place.
The courage of journalists
Journalists, in particular, says Pope Francis, must be willing to go where no one goes, they must have the desire to see things for themselves – a “curiosity, openness, passion.” He praised the courage of journalists who faced serious risks to share the stories of the oppressed, the suffering of the poor and creation, the forgotten wars. “It would be a loss not only for the news reports, but for society and for democracy as a whole, if these voices were to disappear,” he says. “Our entire human family would be impoverished.”
Pope Francis notes that many situations today require someone to “come and see” things as they really are. Too often, he says, we risk seeing things only through the eyes of the richest part of the world. This can lead to a divergence between the news we receive and what is really happening.
Opportunity and risks of the internet
Pope Francis also notes the importance of modern means of communication, especially the Internet. “The Internet, with its countless expressions on social networks, can increase the ability to report and share, with many more eyes on the world and a constant flow of images and testimonies.” It allows many more people to share their stories and witness what they see and hear.
At the same time, however, Pope Francis warns of the “risk of spreading misinformation on social media,” which has now “become obvious to everyone.” The Internet is “a powerful tool,” says the Pope, who requires from us, both as producers and consumers of information, great caution and responsible care for how we use it. “We are all responsible for the communications we make, for the information we share, for the control we can exercise over false news, exposing it,” he says. “We must all be witnesses of the truth: let us go, see and share.”
No substitute to see with our own eyes
Pope Francis emphasizes that “in communications, nothing can ever completely replace the gaze of things in person.” Some things, he insists, “can only be learned through direct experience.”
Jesus’ message was inseparable from his personal encounter with Him. “Indeed in Him – the incarnate Logos – The word took a face; The invisible God allowed himself to be seen, heard and touched ”.
This is true for any communication, which can only be effective when it engages others in a meeting, an experience, a dialogue, says Pope Francis. The gospel is spread through personal encounters, as seen in the experience of those who have met Jesus or who have heard the message of St. Paul. “In the same way, the gospel comes to life today, whenever we accept the convincing testimony of people whose lives have been changed by their encounter with Jesus.”
“For two millennia, a chain of such meetings has communicated the attractiveness of the Christian adventure,” says Pope Francis. “The challenge that awaits us, then, is to communicate by meeting people, where they are and how they are.”
The Pope’s message ends with a prayer:
God, teach us to go beyond ourselves,
and go in search of the truth.
Teach us to go out and see,
teach us to listen,
not to entertain prejudices
or draw hasty conclusions.
Teach us to go where no one else will go,
take the time to understand,
pay attention to the essentials,
not to be distracted by superfluity,
to distinguish deceptive appearances from the truth.
Give us the grace to recognize your places of residence in our world
and the honesty needed to tell others what I saw.