Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli: “The vocation of a journalist is extremely fascinating”

“Among the biggest problems that we experience is how to choose from all the information that we receive on the Internet, the one which will be useful in our life.”  Today, His Excellency Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Papal Council on Social Communications, recapitulated this in his lecture “Proclaiming Today’s Values,” presented to the Institute of International Affairs and to the Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. The talk involved the importance of social communications:  the good and the bad that we can receive from them.  However, in the speaker’s opinion, the most significant issue is the path which each one of us undertakes -- the road towards finding the truth and what meaning we assign to it. “When we talk about searching for the truth, then we are concerned with finding it in order to share it with others.  However, therein emerges a question – how to share that which we are searching?  Therefore, I often emphasize that the calling of a journalist is extremely fascinating.  This calling requires profound responsibility.  In the end, it is exactly this, which places our own genuineness under question.   Simultaneously, it also forebodes certain risks.   In some situations one can even lose one’s job; in some countries one even sacrifices one’s life in order to bring out the truth,” stated the Archbishop. He reminded all that right now we are in the world of “web 2.0” -- thanks to it, we can virtually communicate with anyone.  However, the Vatican Prelate warned that hundreds of friends on Facebook are simply virtual friends.  “This can mean that a person may not have a single real friend.  And the family should undertake the challenges, presented by communication, within the context of mutual understanding.  I would be interested in knowing, what do your parents do while you are on the Internet?  Media has an enormous influence on a person’s attitude towards life, family and values.  As far as religion, we often witness a kind of ridicule of religious values.  Yet, respecting an individual’s dignity is one of the most basic principles.  It is worthwhile to factor in that mass media is a giant resource which can be utilized for education, upbringing as well as spiritual values.  Therefore, school is the place where children should be taught how to properly use the worldwide web,” emphasized the President of the Papal Council on Social Communications. The lecture was followed by a question and answer period in which both students and staff of the Institute of Journalism and the Institute of International Affairs participated.

UGCC Information Department