The media should work with God and not against him, the Pope has said. In his message to mark the 33rd World Communications Day tomorrow, he said there was room for closer co-operation between the media and the church. "On the journey of human searching, the Church wishes to befriend the media," he said, "knowing that every form of co-operation will be for the good of everyone."
The church culture and the media culture were "different" he said, but "there is no reason why differences should make friendship and dialogue impossible. In many of the deepest friendships it is precisely differences that encourage creativity and bridge-building."
Giving examples of what he believed the church could offer to such a "friendship", the Pontiff cited the church's "culture of wisdom" and of "culture of remembrance".
The first could "save the media of information from being a meaningless accumulation of facts" and the second could save the "media culture of transitory news from becoming a forgetfulness which corrodes hope", he continued.
"The Church's culture of joy can save the media culture of entertainment from becoming a soulless flight from the truth and responsibility.
"These are just some examples of how closer co-operation in a spirit of friendship and at a deeper level can help both the Church and the media serve the men and women of our time in their search for meaning and fulfilment."
Turning to the huge growth in the information technology sector, he said the possibility of communication between people had never been greater. Paradoxically, this could also lead to increasing self-centredness and alienation.
In this light he called on all those responsible for social communications to become "ever more committed to help rather than hinder the search for meaning, which is at the heart of human life".
