"CHURCH COMMUNICATION & THE CULTURE OF CONTROVERSY"
‹Christianity, Catholicism, is not a collection of prohibitions: It is a positive option. It is very important that we look at it again, because this idea has almost completely disappeared today. We have heard so much about what is not allowed that now it is time to say: We have a positive idea to offer.Š (Pope Benedict XVI, August 5, 2005).
These words of Benedict XVI from an interview with journalists are at the center of the Sixth Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices. The seminar explores the implications of these words for how Church organizations can communicate in the public arena about the activities and identity of the Catholic Church.
Church communications personnel need to address numerous controversies, including debates about legislation related to the family, protection of the weakest and the most needy, and respect for religious freedom. Confronted with these challenges, it is easy to fall into reactive patterns of communication, with negative consequences.
In this context, we need to address a fundamental question: How should Church communications offices intervene in debates about topics of public interest? How should we promote initiatives fostering the good of the human person? How can we foster a constructive dialogue and communicate the beauty of the Christian message? How can we combine the necessary criticisms with a positive Christian response? Finally, how can we clearly communicate the main content of the Christian message in all its depth and profundity?
The Sixth Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices aims to offer an analysis of the current cultural climate in light of new trends in organizational communication. The seminar enables representatives of different Church communication offices to explore ways of building bridges of dialogue. These bridges, which help overcome unavoidable conflicts, need to be built upon the foundation of our own Catholic identity.
Besides providing updates about trends and current strategies for the work of communications offices, the seminar is a good occasion to exchange experiences with professionals of Church communications from different countries and cultures.