Benedict XVI on children and media

Before Cardinal Ratzinger became Benedict XVI, he had a world wide reputation as a vigilant watchdog over the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Everything he did was excellent, reflecting magnificent understanding of Scripture and deep scholarship on the history of the Catholic Church, but he was known as a grim, no-nonsense disciplinarian.

When he was chosen as the vicar of Christ, another facet of his character came to the surface. He is gentle and paternal, and almost all of his public statements concentrate on the love of God. Not so much our love of God, but God’s love for us. His first encyclical was "Deus Caritas Est" — God is love.

On Easter Sunday, April 8, he will say Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, beautifully decorated with flowers from all over Europe. And he will deliver his Easter Message "To the City and to the World." The ceremony will start at 8:25, and continue until 10:45 UTC, Greenwich Mean Time. This will be 9:25 am to 11:45 am in Rome.

By the International Time belts, the Philippines is seven hours ahead of the Vatican, so it will come to us, by satellite television, from 4:25 p.m., on Easter Sunday afternoon, until 6:45 p.m., our time. It will be carried on five of our national television networks:

NBN, the National Broadcasting Network, Channel 4 in Manila, will televise both Mass and Message live, from 4:25 pm to 6:45 p.m., our time.

ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel, Channel 27 in Manila, will also air both Mass and Message live, from 4:25 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., our time.

IBC, the International Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 13 in Manila, will carry both Mass and Message from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., our time.

The GMA Network, Inc., Channel 7 in Manila will broadcast both Mass and Message delayed. And they will carry the program on their international channel, GMA PINOY TV, to Guam, Japan, Saipan, the United States, and Papua New Guinea.

Radio Philippines Network, Inc., Channel 13 in Manila, will air both Mass and Message, delayed.

Benedict XVI, in his Message for World Communications Day, which will be celebrated on Ascension Sunday, May 20, pours out his deep concern for children. Among other things, he says:

"The formative influence of the media rivals that of the school, the Church, and the home. Reality, for many, is what the media recognize as real."

"The role of parents is of primary importance. They have a right and duty to ensure the prudent use of the media by training the conscience of their children to express sound and objective judgments which will then guide them in choosing or rejecting programmes available. In doing so, parents should have the encouragement and assistance of schools and parishes in ensuring that this difficult, though satisfying, aspect of parenting is supported by the wider community."

"Like education in general, media education requires formation in the exercise of freedom. This is a demanding task. So often freedom is presented as a relentless search for pleasure or for new experiences. Yet this is a condemnation, not a liberation! True freedom could never condemn the individual — especially a child — to an insatiable quest for novelty."

"At times commercial competitiveness seems to compel communicators to lower standards. Any trend to produce programmes and products — including animated films and video games — which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behaviour or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion, all the more repulsive when these programmes are directed at children and adolescents."

"Reflect on the contrast between Christ who ‘put his arms around the children, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing’ and the one who ‘leads astray these little ones’ for whom ‘it would be better if a millstone were hung around his neck and he was drowned in the depths of the sea.’ "

"Above all, the Church desires to share a vision of human dignity that is central to all worthy human communication. Seeing with the eyes of Christ, I can give to others much more than their outward necessities: I can give them the look of love which they crave."

Cardinal Ratzinger, who once was a vigilant watchdog, has become the incarnation of the father of the prodigal son, who was all heart, all love.

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