Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Catholic Mass Media in Korea

The Catholic Church in Korea has a comprehensive presence in newspapers, radio, television, the Internet and social networking. You will find it difficult to find any diocese that operates three communication media: newspaper, radio, and television.

They are a medium for the whole Korean Church but the responsibility of the Seoul Diocese. This year they celebrated their 29th anniversary. A staff member of the Broadcasting System introduces the readers to the aims of the diocese in social communication.

In the pastoral instruction on the means of social communication, Communio Et Progressio # 125 we have these words: "The means of social communication help Catholics in three ways. They help the Church reveal herself to the modern world.They foster dialogue within the Church. They make clear to the Church contemporary opinions and attitudes. For the Church has been ordered by God to give men the message of salvation in a language they can understand and concern herself with the concerns of man."

The Vatican Council for Social and Public Relations presented five tasks for the social communication media. First, the media serving people and culture. Second, media serving the world. Third, serving the development of the human community. Fourth, media serving church unity and lastly serving the new evangelization.

The communication medium needs to respect and maximize their unique functions. The means must be selected appropriately.There are a variety of means but the most effective means need to be used. You use a hammer to put a nail in a wall and not a screwdriver. Also, the nail has to be a proper nail.When the proper tools are not used we will not have the results expected.

In conclusion, he looks over his own relationship with the work in communication for almost the same length of time as the newspaper and broadcasting system itself and admits that he is embarrassed in not having always used the proper tools to convey the message over the past nearly thirty years.