Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Johannesburg (Fides Service)- Archbishop John Foley, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, spoke at the Opening of the 5th World Summit on media for Children, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Fr Chris Townsend Information Officer Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference reports.
In his remarks, Archbishop Foley pointed out that he had begun what was to be a life long Social Communications journey as a 14 year old writing radio plays on the lives of the Saints who had worked for freedom and justice.
The Archbishop invited the participants in the Summit to carefully reflect on the formation of children by the media and the formation of children to respond appropriately to the Media. Quoting Pope Benedict’s message for World Communication Day, on the theme, “Children and the Media: a Challenge for Education”, Archbishop Foley pointed out that “media education requires formation in the exercise of freedom… so often freedom is presented as the relentless search for pleasure or new experiences - yet, this is condemnation, not liberation. Authentic freedom is experienced as a definitive response to God’s ‘yes’ to humanity, calling us to choose, not indiscriminately but deliberately, all that is good, true and beautiful.” He continued that the challenge to the 1000 delegates (including 300 children and teenagers from around the world) was to ensure that ‘entertainment’ was not self serving or exploitative.
“Any trend to produce programmes and products - including animated films and video games - which in the name of entertainment exult violence and portray anti-social behaviour or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion, all the more repulsive when these programmes are directed at children and adolescents’ quoted the Archbishop. He continued, “How could one explain this ‘entertainment’ to the countless young people who actually suffer violence, exploitation and abuse?”
Archbishop Foley then thanked all who had gathered for the Summit for their concern to promote sound media experiences for Children and Young people - so that they might be formed by and through media to help build a just society in peace, mutual respect and in Happiness. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/3/2007 righe 36 parole 417)
