The Pope has called on journalists to be 'communicators of hope' in a world "characterized by disinformation and polarization".
In a special message issued in eight languages this week, Pope Francis urged all those involved in communications "to focus on beauty and hope even in the midst of apparently desperate situations" and to work to generate "commitment, empathy and concern for others".
He said: "Too often today, communication generates not hope, but fear and despair, prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred. All too often it simplifies reality to provoke instinctive reactions; it uses words like a razor; it even uses false or artfully distorted information to send messages designed to agitate, provoke or hurt."
The Pope said that communications needed to be 'disarmed' and "purified of aggressiveness". He added, "All of us see how – from television talk shows to verbal attacks on social media – there is a risk that the paradigm of competition, opposition, the will to dominate and possess, and the manipulation of public opinion will prevail."
Pope Francis, who heads the world's estimated 1.4 billion Catholics, issued his challenge ahead of the Church's World Communications Day on June 1. This year's theme is 'Share with Gentleness the Hope that is in Your Hearts'.
He said to journalists and communicators, "In these our times, characterized by disinformation and polarization, as a few centres of power control an unprecedented mass of data and information, I would like to speak to you as one who is well aware of the importance – now more than ever – of your work as journalists and communicators."
He called on journalists to communicate hope, noting, "The hope of Christians has a face, the face of the risen Lord." His gift of the Holy Spirit "enables us to hope even against all hope, and to perceive the hidden goodness quietly present even when all else seems lost".
Christian communications, explained Pope Francis, "should be steeped in gentleness and closeness, like the talk of companions on the road. This was the method of the greatest communicator of all time, Jesus of Nazareth, who, as he walked alongside the two disciples of Emmaus, spoke with them and made their hearts burn within them as he interpreted events in the light of the Scriptures."
He said, "I dream of a communication capable of making us fellow travellers, walking alongside our brothers and sisters and encouraging them to hope in these troubled times. A communication capable of speaking to the heart, arousing not passionate reactions of defensiveness and anger, but attitudes of openness and friendship."
The Pope encouraged journalists to look out for 'good news' stories among so much doom and gloom. He said, "I encourage you to discover and make known the many stories of goodness hidden in the folds of the news, imitating those gold-prospectors who tirelessly sift the sand in search of a tiny nugget."
He said, "Be meek and never forget the faces of other people; speak to the hearts of the women and men whom you serve in carrying out your work. Do not allow instinctive reactions to guide your communication. Always spread hope, even when it is difficult, even when it costs, even when it seems not to bear fruit, and try to promote a communication that can heal the wounds of our humanity."
The Pope encouraged journalists to "tell stories steeped in hope, be concerned about our common destiny and strive to write together the history of our future".
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
