ADDRESS OF POPE FRANCIS
TO THE DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND COLLABORATORS
OF THE VATICAN TELEVISION CENTRE

Clementine Hall
Rome, 28 October 2013

 

Dear Friends,

The Vatican Television Centre was founded on 22 October 1983 at the express wish of Blessed John Paul II. Your work has made great strides over the last 30 years, and for this we give thanks to the Lord! Now important technological challenges are opening up ahead of us, as I had the opportunity to tell you in my message to you on the occasion of your recent conference. We must not shrink from these challenges if we are to firmly promote “the evangelical perspective on this global highway of communication” (Message to CTV, 18 October 2013). Thank you!

First I wish to thank you, not only for your professionalism which today is known throughout the world, but especially for the availability and discretion you show me each day and with which you accompany me.

I also wish to express my special gratitude to your families on this festive occasion because, as the Director Msgr Viganò pointed out, they live according to the weekly agenda of the Pope’s commitments! It is no small sacrifice, I imagine, and I am not only grateful to you for this but I also assure you of my prayers for you all, particularly for your children. The Pope does not want to disturb your family life! And he thanks you for your patience.

I would like to entrust a few brief thoughts to you.

Play as a team. The communications apostolate is made effective by creating bonds, by making a series of subjects converge around a shared project and calls for “unity of planning and effort” (Decree Inter mirifica, n. 21). We know that this is not easy, but if you help one another to work as a team everything will become lighter and, above all, even your style of working together will be a witness of communion.

Be professionals at the service of the Church. Your work is very high quality, and so it must be for the task which has been assigned to you. For you, however, professionalism is always being at the service of the Church in all things: in filming, directing, editorial choices, administration.... Everything can be done with a style in keeping with the ecclesial perspective of the Holy See. CTV communication must be able to infuse viewers, the faithful and those who are “far away”, with the fragrance and hope of the Gospel.

I wish to conclude by thanking all of the members of the Executive Board who ably help direct and guide the CTV in its mission. A special thought also goes to the friends who are involved in various capacities in the great family of the CTV . Alone we cannot do much, but together we can be of service to the whole world by spreading the truth and the beauty of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Thank you very much!