Pope urges cinema to continue to
be a school of humanism
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| Pope Francis meeting members of Italy's Catholic Association of Community Cinema Hal Operations (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis on Saturday received in audience members of
Italy’s Catholic Association of Community Cinema Hall Operators (ACEC).
By Robin Gomes
Pope Francis on Saturday urged Catholic community cinema
halls of Italy to help build communion with creativity and attentive gaze,
saying it is part of the Christian faith. He was speaking to
some 400 members of the ACEC. Meeting them on the occasion of their
association’s 70th anniversary this year, the Pope entrusted them with 3 tasks.
Communion
Firstly, he exhorted them to build communion saying cinema
is a great instrument for bringing people together. He noted that
particularly in the post-war period, cinema helped in the reconstruction of the
social fabric, transmitting hopes and expectations by providing relief to
people from their daily anxieties and difficulties. Watching films also had an
educational and formative aspect to help reconnect relationships consumed by
tragedies.
Describing the post-war cinema as a great school of
humanism, the Pope said the association is heir to this humanism.
The Pope noted that ACEC is appreciated for its ability to
bring people together and build communion, something that Christians are called
to manifest, saying faith itself is a relationship and an encounter. He
thus invited the group to build communion not only among themselves but also
with Catholic associations and organizations dealing with cinema, saying
without communion, coming together lacks the soul.
Creativity
Secondly, Pope Francis urged the association to creativity.
Cinematographic art, he said is the fruit of creativity that reveals the
uniqueness of the human being, his inner reality and intentions. The Pope
said that a craftsman shapes his work integrating head, heart and hands according
to a clear and defined design,. He thus encouraged the association members to
give space to their creativity by building new paths.
If they want to avoid becoming “museums”, the Pope said,
they must accept the challenges posed by the new digital platforms modern
technologies. They must be in the forefront, not in isolation or in a
scattered manner, but all together. They must dare and be creative in
order to move forward and not remain on the sidelines of innovation.
Vision
The third task entrusted to them is to have a vision or
attentive gaze. The intention behind a vision, the Pope said, is much
more than simply an eye exercise. This gaze that is capable of seeing
things and inside them, calls for coordinated lifestyles and actions for a
greater good than mere interest. The Holy Father concluded, urging the
association on this path saying gaze is the foundation of community building.
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