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                               VIS-Press releases

COMMUNICATE THE GOSPEL CLEARLY AND COURAGEOUSLY

VATICAN CITY, 13 NOV 2010 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father received
participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who
have dedicated their gathering this year to the theme: "The Culture of
Communication and New Languages".

The Pope began by expressing his appreciation for the "original idea" of
inaugurating the plenary in Rome's Town Hall "with a round table discussion on
the theme of 'In the city, listening to the languages of the soul'. In this
way", he said, "the dicastery aimed to give expression to one of
its essential
tasks, that of listening to the men and women of our time, in order to promote
new opportunities for announcing the Gospel".

In this context the Holy Father also referred to the problems that pastors and
faithful encounter "in communicating the evangelical message and transmitting
the faith within the ecclesial community itself", especially
"when the Church
addresses men and women removed from or indifferent to an experience of faith,
whom the evangelical message reaches in a way that is ineffective and
unattractive. In a world that lays so much emphasis on communications strategy,
the Church ... is not indifferent or isolated; quite the contrary, she seeks to
use - with renewed creativity, critical sense and careful discernment - the new
languages and channels of communication.

"The incapacity of language to communicate the profound meaning and beauty of
the experience of faith can contribute to the indifference of many, especially
the young, and can become a reason for abandonment", the Pope added. "The
Church wishes to establish dialogue with everyone, in the search for truth. But
in order for dialogue and communication to be effective and fruitful it is
necessary for people to be on the same wavelength, in places for friendly and
sincere encounter, in that ideal 'Court of the Gentiles' which I suggested ...
a year ago and which the dicastery is putting into effect in various emblematic
fields of European culture".

Benedict XVI went on: "Today many young people, bemused by the infinite
possibilities offered by information networks and other technologies, establish
forms of communication that do not contribute to human growth; rather, they
risk increasing the sense of solitude and bewilderment. Faced with such
phenomena I have spoken on a number of occasions of the educational emergency,
a challenge which can and must be answered with creative intelligence,
committing ourselves to promote forms of communication which humanise,
stimulating the capacity to evaluate and discern".

Going on then to consider "the rich and intense symbolism of the liturgy, which
must shine forth in all its power as an element of communication", the Pope
spoke of last Sunday's liturgy at the basilica of the Sagrada Familia in
Barcelona, Spain. That building, he said, is the masterpiece of the architect
Antoni Gaudi "who brilliantly melded sacred and liturgical meaning into
artistic forms that are both modern and in harmony with the finest
architectural traditions. Nonetheless, the beauty of Christian life is even
more incisive than art and image in communicating the evangelical message", he
said.

The Holy Father concluded by highlighting the need for "men and women who speak
through their lives, who can communicate the Gospel clearly and courageously
with the transparency of their actions and the joyful passion of their
charity".
AC/VIS 20101115 (560)

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