No investment too great to spread the Word of God

Invest big in media says Pope

Thursday, September 26th, 2019

No investment is too big to spread the Word of God through media, Pope Francis says.

On Monday he spoke to group of bishops and media professionals at the start of the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Communications, which was held at the Vatican from Monday until Wednesday this week.

Communication is a mission of the Church, he told the group.

“No investment is too high for the diffusion of the Word of God.

“At the same time, every ‘talent’ should be well spent, taken advantage of,” he said.

“In reality, our strength alone is not enough,”.

Francis referenced an address of Pope St. Paul VI in 1964, in which Paul told the Vatican’s then-social communications department that “a thought of faith must therefore support the smallness of our humble efforts.

“The more we make ourselves instruments in the hands of God, that is, small and generous, and the more the probability of our efficiency will grow,” Paul VI said.

Francis acknowledged since 1964 “the challenges in this area [communications] have grown exponentially and our forces are never enough.

“The challenge to which you are called, as Christians and communicators, is really high. And that is why it is beautiful.”

This is the first plenary assembly of the dicastery since its institution in 2015.

Francis said he “rejoices” in the theme chosen for this Assembly: ‘We are members of one another’.

“Your, our strength lies in unity, in being members of one another. Only so we can better respond to the needs of the Church’s mission,” Francis said in a prepared speech.

Francis also made lengthy impromptu remarks to the assembly, counseling them to have the “signature of testimony” in everything they do.

“If you want to communicate only the truth without goodness and beauty, stop yourselves, do not do it,” he warned.

“If you want to communicate a kind of truth, but without involving yourselves, without giving witness to that truth with your very lives, with your very flesh, stop yourselves, do not do it,”.

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