Pontifical Council for Social Communications

This article is part of a series on the
Roman Curia

The Pontifical Council for Social Communications (Pontificium Consilium de Communicationibus Socialibus) is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. First established by Pope Pius XII in 1948 and later given wider jurisdiction and new names by successive popes, most recently by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988, it is responsible for using the various forms of the media in spreading the Gospel.[1][2]

The current President of the Council for Social Communications is Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on June 27, 2007.[3]

According to Article 169 of the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor Bonus, promulgated by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988: "The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is involved in questions regarding the means of social communication, so that, also by these means, human progress and the message of salvation may benefit secular culture and mores." Article 170 also states that: "The chief task of this Council is to encourage and support in a timely and suitable way the action of the Church and her members in the many forms of social communication. It takes care to see that newspapers and periodicals, as well as films and radio or television broadcasts, are more and more imbued with a human and Christian spirit."[4]

History

The PCSC began as the Pontifical Commission for the Study and Ecclesiastical Evaluation of Films on Religious or Moral Subjects, established on January 30, 1948 by the Secretariat of State of Pope Pius XII. Bishop Martin John O'Connor was appointed as its President and its four original members including Monsignor Maurizio Raffa (representing the Sacred Congregation of the Council), Monsignor Ferdinando Prosperi (representative of the office Catholique International du Cinématographe and provisional Secretary of the new Commission), Giacomo Ibert, and Ildo Avetta. The Commission was housed in a single room at the Palazzo San Carlo in Vatican City. On September 17, 1948, Pius XII approved the statutes of this new Curial office, which was then renamed the Pontifical Commission for Educational and Religious Films.[5]

Publications

The PCSC and its predecessor bodies have published a number of statements on various topics connected with social communications, including:

In addition, the PCSC assisted with the drafting of Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter The Rapid Development (January 24, 2005) on technological changes in the media.

Current structure

List of Presidents of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications

See also

References

  1. ↑ "A brief outline and history of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications," Pontifical Council for Social Communications, accessed September 25, 2013, http://www.pccs.va/index.php/en/about-us-en/history-of-pcsc
  2. ↑ See also, Warren A. Kappeler, III, Communication Habits for the Pilgrim Church: Vatican Teaching on Media and Society (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 71-98.
  3. ↑ "Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. ↑ John Paul II, Pastor Bonus, paras 169-170, accessed 25 September 2013, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19880628_pastor-bonus-roman-curia_en.html#PONTIFICAL COUNCILS.
  5. ↑ "A brief outline and history of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications," Pontifical Council for Social Communications, accessed September 25, 2013, http://www.pccs.va/index.php/en/about-us-en/history-of-pcsc

External links