New Delhi (Fides Service) – The Church has to engage in social communications at all times and by all means because her very existence has relevance only if she is a proclaiming and an evangelising Church” said the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios, He was speaking at the 7th general body meeting of the Catholic Council of India, the consultative and advisory body of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on December 9 on the theme “Church and Social Communications”, held in Kerala, attended by several bishops, academics, legislators intellectuals, and civic leader.
Archbishop Baselios further said the Church had a divine message to communicate to the world in the spirit of Vatican II: “It is on the basis of the God-given duty of proclaiming the gospel preached by Jesus Christ that the Church has always engaged n the process of global evangelisation.
Another speaker, Dr Vilanilam, former vice Chancellor of Kerala University said Jesus Christ was the perfect communicator and the great sacrifice he made for humanity was a symbol of God’s love for his people. “This divine communication has to becomes the basis of the Church’s social communication in order to be the voice of the voiceless, the advocate of the silent and helpless millions” he said.
Underlining that the Church’s work in communications served for the cultural progress of many, the participants recalled that Christianity had liberated millions of people from hunger, illiteracy, illness, indignity and it had promoted brotherhood and justice among all.
At the end of the meeting, spokesperson of the Bishops’ Conference Dr. Babu Joseph, highlighted issues of national concern, stressing the importance of public relations for a “better co-ordinated and a better socially and national placed Church in order to spread the Christian message”
(PA) (Fides Service 17/12/2003 lines 29 words 311)