Theme
announced for 2016 World Communications Day Message
(Vatican
Radio) The Pontifical Council for Social Communications on Tuesday announced
the theme for the 2016 World Communications Day. It isCommunication and
Mercy: A Fruitful Encounter.
The
day is celebrated each year on the Sunday before Pentecost, which next year is
on 8 May.
World
Communications Day was established by Paul VI after the Second Vatican
Council in order to draw attention to the “the vast and complex
phenomenon of the modem means of social communication.”
This
year’s theme was decided in order to coincide with the Extraordinary Jubilee of
Mercy, the Holy Year called by Pope Francis to announce the Mercy of God.
The
full text of the announcement of the theme is below
Communication
and Mercy: a fruitful encounter
The
choice of theme this years has clearly been determined by the Celebration of
the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and the Holy Father undoubtedly desired
that World Communications Day would provide the appropriate occasion to reflect
on the deep synergy between communication and mercy.
In
the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee Year, in paragraph 12, the Pope affirms
that: The Church is commissioned to announce the mercy of God, the beating
heart of the Gospel, which in its own way must penetrate the heart and mind of
every person. He adds: Her language and her gestures must transmit mercy,
so as to touch the hearts of all people and inspire them once more to find the
road that leads to the Father. It is helpful, in this regard, to remember that
our reflection is situated in the context of an awareness that communication is
a key element for the promotion of a culture of encounter.
The
Pope, on this occasion, refers to the language and gestures of the Church but
the context makes it clear that all men and women in their own communications,
in their reaching out to meet others, ought to be motivated by a deep
expression of welcome, availability and forgiveness.
The
Theme highlights the capacity of good communication to open up a space for
dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation, thereby allowing fruitful
human encounters to flourish. At a time when our attention is often drawn to
the polarized and judgmental nature of much commentary on the social networks,
the theme invokes the power of words and gestures to overcome
misunderstandings, to heal memories and to build peace and harmony.
Once
again, Pope Francis is reminding us that, in its essence, communication is a
profoundly human achievement. Good communication is never merely the product of
the latest or most developed technology, but is realized within the context of
a deep interpersonal relationship.World Communications Day, the only worldwide
celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council (“Inter Mirifica”, 1963),
is marked in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world,
on the Sunday before Pentecost (in 2016, May 8th).
The
Holy Father's message for World Communications Day is traditionally published
in conjunction with the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers
(January 24).
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