Catholic radio stations should be truly Catholic, says Argentine Archbishop

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct 30, 2003 / 22:00 pm

Meeting with Catholic radio representatives, Archbishop Mario Maulión of Paraná and President of the Bishops Committee for Social Communications, said Catholic radio stations should bear witness to the faith and not simply become another source of news.

During the Congress of Professional Communications Experts of Catholic Broadcasting, which took place in the city of Rosario, Archbishop Maulión encouraged Catholic radio officials to have “a clear institutional and broadcasting plan” because “good will alone is not sufficient to ensure proper use of this medium.”

“In order for a radio station to be Catholic, it must first a foremost be a radio station. Therefore, it should be a means of communication. But if it claims to be Catholic, one should be able to notice its Catholicity” because “a Catholic cannot be an anonymous Christian, dedicated only to cultural issues, without having a true identity. Diluting these aspects means the station is not seriously Catholic, no matter how much it claims to be.”

Archbishop Maulión also explained that the “proper nature of being a radio station and of being Catholic implies a unique harmony of various aspects: communication, means of communication and Catholic. The complexity of this reality requires clear ideas and firm resolve. In a Catholic station there must be a set of principles, a plan of action and a coherent approach.”

The Archbishop added that a Catholic station should “be legal, and economically just. In its entire operations, down to the smallest detail, it should be consistent with our vision of faith. There cannot be a divorce between the message it proclaims and the way it is managed.”

Referring to those who carry out the different responsibilities in the operation of a Catholic radio station, the Archbishop said they should be professional, “but at the same time have a deep faith life,” and he asked that “continual formation in the faith be a part of every Catholic radio station.”