Pope Benedict XVI marked World Day for Social Communications. In comments after his Regina Caeli address he said: “We celebrate the World Day of Social Communications, on the theme “Silence and Word: a path of evangelisation.” Silence is an integral part of communication, it is a privileged place of encounter with the Word of God and our brothers and sisters. I invite all to pray so that communications, in all forms, always serve to establish a genuine dialogue with others, founded on mutual respect, listening and sharing”.
The theme for the 46th World Day for Social Communications was released earlier in January on the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron saint of Catholic journalists.
In the message, the value of silence is presented, not as a simple antidote to the constant flow of information which characterises today’s society, but as an essential tool to help us understand and welcome the Word of God into our lives.
In a reflection on this theme, Archbishop Claudio Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, says since silence favours habits of discernment and reflection, we ought not to think in terms of a dualism, but in terms of the complementary nature of silence and words, which, when they are held in balance, serve to enrich the value of communication and make it a key factor in the service of the new evangelisation.