The Vatican has spoken out against show-off media priests, according to a Times article today. As well as seeminly wanting to reign in budding Catholic Televangelists, there is clearly some soul searching going on about the wider implications of the television medium. The Pope's comments appear surprisingly reactionary. He said that images of evil and suffering on TV poison us and “This poison makes our faces darker and makes us smile less, stopping us from greeting one another or making eye contact." The longer speech might have been less stark, but it does reveal a fear of television.
It's good to see religous authorities engaging with modern communication mediums on more of a theoretical level, but this struck me as...well. Interesting. What do you think?
I think the Pope is right to warn against US style TV evangelism that can appear insincere and based on money and personality, but if he is suggesting that priests should stay away from the media he has to be mistaken. I am always impressed by Rowan William's intelligent and thoughtful responses to big issues, and if we are to have a measured, spiritual approach to the horrors of the world then we have to have people of faith who can express themselves well. I agree a daily diet of evil does darken our faces and make us smile less often, but the opposite is not right either - hiding from the world. As ever a middle way exists, and I would welcome more faith based comment on world affairs. Priests need media training - or encouraged to be more media friendly, otherwise the same old ill-judged dogmas appear that do more harm than good.