Lahore (Fides Service) - In view of the annual World Communications Day promoted by the Catholic Church, also in Pakistan for several months Catholics have been promoting awareness campaigns and seminars in schools and parishes on the role of the media in society as channels of harmony, understanding, peace and respect. Leaflets, handbooks for liturgy and audio-video material have been distributed all over the country. Special radio programmes on the world of the media and media themes have been produced. These were some of the initiatives promoted by the National Centre for Social Communications which belongs to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan. The Catholic Church’s World Communications Day is celebrated as established by the local bishops on the Sunday before Pentecost, this year 8 May 2005 in almost all the countries of the world. The theme of this year’s Day, the 39th is: “The Communications Media at the service of Understanding between Peoples”.
Over the past months seminars were held in schools, parishes and houses of formation for religious and clergy thanks to contributions from Christians and Muslims experts who reflected the theme of the day and also on Pope John Paul II’s last Apostolic Letter “The rapid development” (January 24, 2005) addressed to those responsible for communications
During one recent seminar held at the Rabita Manzil Catholic Centre in Lahore, Prof. Azmat Rasul Mass Media Docent at Punjab university said that the media have made the world a global village and that through the media “we can make the world a better place to live in”. The Catholic Archbishop of Lahore Lawrence Saldanha said that Catholics and all men and women need education to a critical use of the media and that the media must be at the service of truth, justice and peace in the world.
Director of the local Church’s National Communications Centre Fr. Nadeem John Shaker, said “without communications life is impossible”, adding that “to evangelise today means transmitting the Christian message through the means of social communication”.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/05/2005 Righe: 38 Parole: 286)