AMERICA/CHILE - Sunday 1 July Communications Day in Chile: “necessity of moral judgement with regard to the quality of programmes watched by children adolescents and the impact these programmes have ”

Santiago (Agenzia Fides) - Sunday 1 July Chile will mark the annual Communications Day with the same theme for reflection used in the rest of the Church "Children and the Media: a challenge to Education". To help dioceses, parishes, religious communities, schools and other Catholic institutes and bodies celebrate the Day special material was prepared by the Chilean Bishops' media commission and put on line at web site www.iglesia.cl. The material includes the message for the Day this year issued by Pope Benedict XVI , comments on the text, guidelines and suggestions for liturgical celebrations and a message from the president of the media commission Bishop Tomislav Koljatic of Linares diocese. At the national level the office for coordination of Catholic media operators has invited all media operators to take part in a special Mass on 29 June presided by the president of the Chilean Bishops' Conference Bishop Alejandro Goic of the diocese of Rancagua.
In his message Bishop Tomislav Koljatic, head of the Media commission, urged media operators to read the Pope's message with care and to "draw from it illumination and criteria to orient work in communications, and in the education of children and adolescents". The Bishop recalls the "necessity of moral judgement with regard to the quality of programmes watched by children adolescents" and to assess the impact these programmes have on these most vulnerable of audiences who must be helped to “grow in maturity, freedom and responsibility". The Bishop expresses concern for " television contents increasingly more violent, banal and dehumanising", but he says it is useless to criticise "if children are left for hours alone in front of the television without guidance or supervision ". He calls on parents to assume their responsibility and make suitable decisions “with regard to how many hours children watch TV and what they watch". He said those responsible for TV programmes including the Church, parish communities and Catholic schools must assume their responsibility in this important field. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 13/6/2007; righe 27, parole 387)