More From the Communicators

Now, this is hardcore -- in the best possible way.

While no fulltext in whatever language exists of Archbishop Angelo Amato's now-famous "Code boycott" talk at the Fifth Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices, held last week in Rome, The Roamin' Roman was there and has a very detailed summation of his entire message.

The #2 hand at the CDF raises numerous interesting questions.... Here's a snip:

• Citing an interview in April, he says that young people of today request not “change” in the Church’s teaching, as commonly believed, but instead desire more modern communications to be used, to explain to the modern world what the Church’s teaching is and why.
• Pastorally, these complaints are significant and should be addressed by all Catholics, and particularly by bishops, bishops’ conferences, and the Holy See.

I've been saying this all along -- the problem is one of medium, kids, not message. Grazie tante, Mons. Amato.

Another gem:

The Catholic faithful themselves often cannot give “a reason for their hope”.

Enter Whispers.... To fill that vacuum has always been one of my big-picture aspirations -- not that I've succeeded, of course, but I have tried....

Today, we feel that we live in a kind of virtual reality, the result of manipulation. However, the Gospel is not a product of merely human minds – Jesus is the truth, He is the Gospel. The Church finds stumbling blocks not only in her communications, but in the reception of the message she presents.

What a gift to have this.

Also at the festivities, a paper was presented on how the church could best improve its communications outreach. The author was our good friend Laura Sheahen, the gifted editor who brought my Beliefnet pieces (Ingrid and Encyclical) to life and made them immeasurably better by curbing my many excesses.

Of course, I have my own ideas on how the church's in-house communications people could be more effective -- got a free weekend?

Then again, friends, we must always remember that, especially in this business, grace builds on nature.

That is, if we let it.

-30-