Rediscovering Catholic Journalism

The Catholic Press Congress at the Vatican may be over but the real mission begins now.

Having spent four days sharing concerns with Catholic journalists worldwide, I discovered many similarities shared by Catholics reporting for their local Church.

Is it possible to have a free Catholic press? Can the Church speak in the language of the younger generation? Will Catholic publications survive in today's' digital era?

These were some of the topics discussed during the sessions. The 16 language-based groups agreed that the Church must prepare lay leaders to guarantee professionalism in the Catholic Press.

The congress organizers had invited three delegates from each country and were not limited to clergy members. However, one-third of the participants were priests and nuns along with professional reporters. Moreover, about half the delegates in the English-speaking South Asian group, which I was part of, were priests.

I do not doubt the competency of those priests, but I wondered as to whether there was a competent Catholic reporter there or the concerned bishop didn't need a different perspective.

The Catholic press in Asia faces several challenges. There is no strong Catholic newspaper in the world's largest and most populous continent. Mostly, Catholics get their news from secular media. Congress speakers agreed that Asia is progressing towards a digital society at a very fast pace with more and more Internet users. They admitted that little reference was given to Asia at the Vatican congress, which they described as "the driving force for the next 100 years."

The Catholic press' role in Asia is also increasing but is hampered by another challenge. Most Church-run magazines are funded by bishops who direct its vision. Money maybe is an issue but is not the solution.

There is need to set up an independent board to maintain professionalism in Catholic publications. Asian delegates agreed that people in general are their target audience, not just Catholics. The editorial board can facilitate Church communications effectively.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication, referred to this at the congress' conclusion. "The Church must proactively use communication media. The local Church is not doing enough to pass the message. Many people do not even know the latest messages of the Pope," he said.

There is a need to reach out to the younger generation and Catholic journalists can help. There are many regions where the Church still has no voice because the bishop has no regular publication. There is also a need to train futuristic priests who have a vision.

We, as writers, are still digital immigrants but can create opinion leaders because we have a Catholic heart and a relationship with Internet users.