There is a need for media that do not divide but build bridges, do not erect barriers, but support dialogue, said Vatican Media representatives Dr. Andrea Tornielli and Dr. Massimiliano Menichetti, who met with the community of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin on June 1 in Lublin. The meeting with students, including those studying journalism, focused on the use of modern media and technology for communication in the Church.
Vatican News
Experts stressed the importance of media coverage based on the truth and testimony of people’s lives. “In the face of a person’s relationship, in the face of their life experience – even if we do not agree with their principles – we feel greater respect and esteem,” said Dr. Andrea Tornielli. He recalled that the Gospel spread, above all, thanks to the witness of people who “allowed themselves to be drawn and fascinated by Jesus”.
Dr. Tornielli, presenting the mission and various activities of Vatican Media, emphasized that every message, even concerning tragic events, must bring hope. “In our daily work, even when we have to talk about dramatic realities such as war, we always try to do so, leaving some room for seeds of hope. Because that’s what you need,” Tornielli said.
The managing director of Vatican Radio/Vatican News, Dr. Massimiliano Menichetti, emphasized that an important aspect of their activity is to talk about events in the world through the prism of Catholic social teaching. “This means that if, for example, a bomb explodes in Ukraine, we certainly inform about the destruction, but at the same time, we show who helps, who works for the benefit of other people, for peace, for fraternity, and at every level: with words, aid, politics, diplomacy, and possible solutions,” concluded Dr. Menichetti.
Dr. Tornielli and Dr. Menichetti pointed to the need to use modern technologies in the media. “We need media that use all modern technologies to communicate the good, to foster exchanges, to listen to others, to bear witness to the beauty of the Christian faith, never turning truth or identity into a cudgel or a wall,” he said.
Prof. Mirosław Kalinowski, at whose invitation the experts from the Vatican visited the university, mentioned John Paul II and his role in opening up to the world and promoting media that convey the truth. The media at the Catholic University of Lublin are important: journalism studies are operating, and recently KUL, among all Polish universities, has become the most active in social media. Many journalism students and John Paul II Foundation House scholarship recipients attended the meeting with Vatican experts.
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin is one of the largest Catholic universities in the world and an important center of Catholic thought. It conducts scientific activities and educates young people in such faculties as theology, philosophy, social sciences, law, and humanities, as well as mathematical and natural sciences.
