Delhi (AsiaNews) – Communication media are "God's special gift to humanity" and to better use them the "Church must recognise their importance and educate the clergy and the laity as to how they are useful for its development" so that "the interest it has always had in defending society and evangelising it can be enriched by these new tools." This, in a nutshell, is the sense of the inaugural address by Mgr Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Agra and chairman of the Indian Bishops' Commission for Social Communications, to the National Conference on Catholic Communications held in Delhi on August 1-3.

"It is essential," the prelate told AsiaNews, "that Christian values permeate society, and this is all the more necessary for India with her rich multi-cultural, multi-religious history.  There is an urgent need for the Indian Church to provide a timely, appropriate and effective response to what occurs in society."

"The Church through its social communications ministry," he added, "should contribute constructively to the propagation of all that is good and true. It is vital, especially today, that the Church keeps pace with civil society; it is important that the Church be the 'voice' and interpret situations and events through the eyes of faith and thus communicate the values of the Gospel to all."

The participants to the conference— bishops, priests and lay people—issued a final statement that both echoed Mgr Gracias's appeal to modernise the Church's view of the role of the media, and offered concrete suggestions to implement that goal.

"We [. . .] reiterate our commitment to make the Church in India a more communicating one," it said. "The Catholic Church is an inalienable and significant constituent of civil society [and] should become a more 'listening Church ', sensitive to the hopes, aspirations and angst of the common man, woman and child, particularly [. . .] of the Dalits, Tribals, other Backward Classes, the landless peasantry and other marginalized groups."

The statement suggests the Church open social communications offices wherever possible, linked to the network of professional media, and emphasise the professional training of the youth.