When Pope Benedict XVI recently commented to a journalist about
condom use in AIDS prevention, there was widespread discussion and
confusion about what the pope meant and whether it represented a change
in church teaching.
To clarify that no change in church teaching had taken place,
Archbishop John Nienstedt provided The Catholic Spirit with a guest
column about the issue from John Haas, president of the National
Catholic Bioethics Center.
The archbishop, who is The Catholic Spirit’s publisher and who writes
his own column titled “That They May All Be One” for each issue, said
he views his column as well as other news and commentary in the
newspaper as helpful aids in communicating with the people of God.
“The role of the archbishop is basically to build up the sense of
communion in the church, and communion necessitates communication,” he
said during a Dec. 16 interview with The Catholic Spirit.
“Being one person — even though I’ve now gotten around to 158
parishes so far — I can’t be everywhere at the same time,” he said.
Having a forum, such as The Catholic Spirit, in which to write a column
to address important issues or questions is “very, very helpful.”
Archbishop Nienstedt is an avid reader of a wide variety of Catholic
media. Because of his busy schedule, he said he often sets a stack of
newspapers and magazines aside until he can read them over a weekend.
He
might also read them during his lunch or while traveling.
In addition to The Catholic Spirit, among the publications on his
regular reading list are L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper;
America magazine; Catholic Health World (the archbishop has a background
in bioethics); Origins, Catholic News Service’s documentary service;
the Servant; publications produced by the archdiocese’s Catholic
universities; and diocesan newspapers sent to him by fellow bishops in
Minnesota and around the United States.
Regarding the role Catholic media should play in the life of the
church, Archbishop Nienstedt points to a recent address by Pope Benedict
to the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies.
The pope said a primary task of Catholic newspapers is to “give voice
to a point of view that reflects Catholic thinking on all ethical and
social questions.”
“I think, first and foremost, that’s what I look for in a Catholic
paper,” Archbishop Nienstedt said.
“I can use the secular press to get
my news. But the Catholic viewpoint is what I really need. I think
that’s so important.”
The pope said Catholic newspapers, in addition to conveying important
information about the church and the world, have an “irreplaceable
formative function” in helping develop Christian consciences — a role
that Archbishop Nienstedt said is “terribly important.”
“I see the Catholic newspaper as I would see other forms of Catholic
media: really helping my office to evangelize, to preach and teach the
Gospel message, to catechize people, to form them in the faith,” he
said.
Contemporary challenges
Catholic media today face numerous challenges.
They must compete for
Catholics’ attention with a vast array of other print, electronic and
social media.
And, Catholic newspapers in particular are searching for
new ways to fund their ministries at a time when parishes and
advertisers are facing difficult economic times.
The Catholic Spirit’s board of directors is in the midst of a
strategic planning process to help
guide the newspaper — both its print
version and website — into the future so it can continue its mission “to
proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul
and
Minneapolis” while resting on a firm financial footing.
If local Catholics truly want to stay informed about what is
happening in the church and grow in their faith, they need to be regular
consumers of Catholic media, including The Catholic Spirit, Archbishop
Nienstedt said.
“My advice to people would be to leave time in their weekly schedule —
an hour or two — where they can pick up a book or pick up a number of
articles that they think would be of interest on a particular topic and
then go into some depth with it,” he said.
“I think that’s what we’re
called to if we’re going to continue that ongoing adult formation of our
faith. It can’t be just in quick sound bites.
“Sound bites can and should lead us to a more in-depth study of a
particular issue.”
But, Archbishop Nienstedt added, “I would say that
it’s hard to explain the doctrine of transubstantiation in a sound bite.
There are just some theological and philosophical concepts that take
time and need some in-depth study as well as some time to reflect upon.”
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