Pope says media must not debase family life, human love

Published: 2006-01-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Today's information and entertainment industries should show "edifying models" not "debased or false expressions" of family life and human love, Pope Benedict XVI said. In his first message for World Communications Day, the pope called on communicators to help "uphold and support marriage and family life" because the union of a man and a woman in marriage represents the foundation of all cultures and communities. The pope's message on the theme "The Media: A Network for Communication, Communion and Cooperation" was released at the Vatican Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists. World Communications Day will be marked in most dioceses this year May 28, the Sunday before Pentecost. The pope said workers in the mass media must strive for accuracy, thoroughness and "fair representation of diverse points of view" in their work, but "of particular importance" is the need to promote and protect the sanctity of marriage and the family, he said.

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