– Marco Carvalho
The legacy of John Paul II, especially in what regards the open and frank relationship that the Polish pope managed to maintain with the media during his pontificate, was the highlight of the seminar that Robert Nęcek conducted last week at St Joseph Seminary. Nęcek, director of the Department of Media Education at the Institute of Journalism and Social Communication of the Pontifical University of John Paul II, in Krakow, addressed, among other aspects, the role of the media in spreading the teachings of Karol Wojtyla. Almost fifteen years after his death and five years after he was declared a Saint by the Catholic Church, John Paul II continues to be a living source of inspiration both in his Polish homeland and in many other places across the world. In an interview with O Clarim, Reverend Nęcek addressed the way the media has been changing and the impact social networks are having on the evangelization efforts led by the Church. The scholar left Macau’s Catholic church a warning: it is not wise to ignore platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. The fact that not all priests are able to interact with the new social media reality simply means that the members of the church have to educate themselves and to regain access to the media, Robert Nęcek says.
Pope John Paul II had a very good relationship with the media. It was kind of a phenomenon in media terms …
It’s quite true. Pope John Paul II was well aware of the importance of the media and he had the sagacity and the astuteness to learn how to communicate with journalists. We all know how important media is in today’s world. The world today is globalized, it is a large global village thanks to newspapers, radio stations or the Internet. The media has the power to accelerate the connection between different peoples and cultures, to inform almost immediately on a global scale. Pope John Paul II considered that, by contributing to a faster connection between different peoples and cultures, the media were being of service to the Word of God. The press and, in a more general way, the media offer the possibility to multiply knowledge, to expose the works of mercy to a globalized audience. In the face of so many conflicts, so much disturbance and so much misunderstanding, John Paul II often urged journalists and the media to help spread the Good News.
John Paul II had an almost affectionate relationship with the media. Did it help to make Karol Wojtyla an even more respected figure within the Catholic Church?
First and foremost, we need to have in mind that the Pope – any Pope – is a witness to Jesus Christ. The media is a product of the contemporary men; it is made by professionals that devote a great deal of attention to the world that surrounds them. During the pontificate of John Paul II, both the faithful and the journalists were given the opportunity to follow how the Pope lived his daily life in an unprecedented way. We were able to see firsthand the way Saint John Paul II mingled with the world and with the people. Journalists were offered the opportunity to report on his life on a day-to-day basis. Before being ordained a priest, Karol Wojtyla had a brief but very intense experience as an actor, as a performer. He was able to use that experience to communicate to the public the values he prized the most. John Paul II knew not only how to make use of words, but also how to give strength to his messages, to the idea he wanted to convey. He did through his gestures, the posture he assumed or even the way he modulated his voice.
John Paul II’s successors in the Chair of St Peter, Benedict XVI first and now Francis … Were they able to preserve this close relationship with the press?
This sort of proximity eventually faded during the pontificate of Benedict XVI. During the years in which Benedict XVI occupied the Chair of St Peter there were some dramatic moments between the media and the Pontiff. The relationship between Pope Benedict XVI and the media was not very easy. They were much less cordial. Pope Francis, in turn, shares with John Paul II a mesmerizing charisma. He is able to reach the media with an incredible facility, especially because he often insists on direct contact with journalists. Another example of this broad-mindedness is the fact that Francis has a very visible presence in the so called social networks. If you want to know how popular he is, you just have to check how many followers the Pope has on Twitter.
This straightforwardness that both Saint John Paul II and Pope Francis seem to have with the media … Is this the result of personal charisma? Or does it reveal a particular concern with the press as a suitable way for spread the works of the Church and the Word of God?
Nowadays there’s not a single aspect of society in which the influence of the media is not noticed. Things have changed and traditional media is not alone anymore. Social networks, like Facebook and other platforms, have joined it. We can notice a great adherence to the so-called social networks by the younger generation. Both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI – as John Paul II did before them – are constantly emphasizing that the Church only finds its way in mankind. What does this mean? It means that the media are a mirror where the expectations of man are reflected. The media is uniting and mobilizing people. Given this reality, the Church has no alternative but to cooperate openly and broadly with the media. Only with the help of the media is it possible to take the Word of God, the Good News, everywhere.
What kind of challenges does the Church face in this new world of possibilities? Can social networks be a challenge to the authority of the Church?
The greatest of the problems the Church faces has to do with the openness and curiosity that are needed to enter and explore this new world of possibilities, this new condition that is inherent to the social networks. The problem – if it is a problem at all – resides in the fact that not all the priests, not all the religious have the same capacity to interact with new technologies. On the other hand, there is an inevitable challenge. The fact that not all priests are able to interact with this new reality simply means that we have to educate ourselves, we have to regain access to the media. It means that we have to learn how to read the messages conveyed by these new media and its contents. We must, on the other hand, make an effort to communicate clearly so that the Good News announced by Jesus Christ can be fully apprehended. All this requires work and commitment, both for the media and for the Church if their concern is to reach, seek and convey the truth.
If we consider that social networks are used by a wide variety of people with different cultural backgrounds – and among them a large number of young people – is it a risk for the Church to ignore phenomena such as Twitter or Facebook?
More than emphasize the difficulties, I would like to address the positive impact of using social networks. When we talk about the Catholic Church, the main foundation is the Holy Father’s word. Pope Francis is making use of Twitter to evangelize. Today’s man – and in particular the youth – aspires to simple, short, and direct answers. Pope Francis understood the potentialities of Twitter: few words, but the right ones. The Pope is well aware that many do not have endurance nor patience for great explanations and for long texts. What is interesting to note is that among the followers of Pope Francis are not only Catholics, but also Muslims or followers of other religions. Where the people are, so must be the Church.
Let’s get back to the legacy of Pope John Paul II … He was the pontiff of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was one of the architects of the opening of a new world. Is he still a central figure in Poland? An inspiration to the Poles?
The presence of Saint John Paul II can still be felt in Poland nowadays. He was a striking figure in the history of my country. He obviously arouses different emotions from generation to generation. He is still very present among the generations that knew him when he was still with us. The way the generation that was born after the pontificate of John Paul II looks at his legacy is obviously different. His example survives in many ways and has taken many different paths and shapes. In Poland, after the death of Karol Wojtyla, a Foundation was created. Its main purpose is to fund young people who do not have financial means so they can study and reach the university. The John Paul II Foundation took on the mission of helping the poorest among the poor to become qualified professionals. This kind of legacy is a living monument to John Paul II. The Foundation also assumes as its role the promotion of the teachings of John Paul II in universities: promoting human dignity, human rights, mercy, democracy and – in a less obvious way – the advantages of free market. Another important feature that the Foundation promotes is the artistic expression linked to John Paul II, be it through painting, through sculpture or through photography. The exhibition we brought to Macau is quite a good example. The works of Joanna Sobcyzk-Pająk can be found in many churches, both in Poland and in the United States of America.
You were mentioning the defense of values such as freedom, solidarity, democracy or even the free market. The pontificate of John Paul II was linked to the opening not only of Poland itself, but also of Eastern Europe. Values such as democracy, solidarity and freedom are, somehow, under threat in Poland?
The teachings that John Paul II entrusted us with are valid for all time. The essential beliefs and rules of social life can be summed up to the five central values on which the doctrine of St John Paul II is based. They are Freedom, Truth – these two values are deeply interconnected – Justice and Mercy (also linked together) and, finally, Solidarity. The first four values, John Paul II argues, only make sense if they are rooted in Solidarity. Wherever we find humanity, whether a man lives in a poor country or in a rich country, we all end up looking for values such as this in our heart. We also tend to approach people who let themselves be guided by these values. It’s this perspective that will offer us a sense and a direction, which will make us think about the dignity of the human being and his rights. Without these values, it’s difficult to achieve personal and spiritual stability. If we ignore any of these five values, which are central to the teachings of John Paul II, we will be openly trampling on the dignity of the human being. This is a legacy of John Paul II that Pope Francis adopted. He is preaching and propagating it with an extraordinary force.
Pope John Paul II … Is he still an inspiring figure both for the Church and the world?
Yes. In my opinion, Saint John Paul II continues to inspire the Church and the world. He is a living source of inspiration both in Poland and in many other places across the world. I hope he can continue to inspire Macau as well.
Follow
