Inter Mirifica
Encyclopedia
Inter Mirifica is the Second Vatican Council's
Decree on the Media of Social Communications. It was approved by a vote of 1,960 to 164 of the bishops assembled, and promulgated on December 4, 1963 by Pope Paul VI
. The title, taken from the first line
of the document (as is customary with significant Catholic documents), is Latin
for "Among the Wonderful".
Inter Mirifica insists that the Pastor should guide the members of the church so that they can help spread the good truth and further help the common good of the people of the world.
“It is however, especially necessary that all parties concerned should adopt for themselves a proper moral outlook on the use of these media, especially with respect to certain questions that have been vigorously aired in our day…This means that in both the search for news and in reporting it, there must be a full respect for the laws of morality and for the legitimate rights and dignity of the individual.”
It emphasizes that it is very important for the people of the world and especially the members of the church to uphold a certain amount of integrity and responsibility. They must recognize that in both the viewing of news and in the distributing of news, you have to be knowledgeable in the topic. As a reporter, you have the responsibility of telling the truth about the topic, and making sure the topic is appropriate to be reported to the masses. As a viewer, you have the responsibility of making sure that the article or report is a credible source, and furthermore making sure the report gives a good moral outlook on the topic.
, which condemned press freedom because of the likelihood that some media content could be "poisonous" to the public.
However, it is also possible that this position has not yet been completely overturned, since it was re-asserted in December 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, who accused the mass media of producing "poison" that makes people less sensitive to violence.
or mass media
. It has the advantage, as a term, of wider connotation - all communication is social but not all communication is "mass". In effect, though, the two terms are used synonymously.
World Social Communication
Day was created by the Second Vatican Council to provide an annual message for the church to its people and the rest of the world. Pope John Paul II
vigorously promoted responsibility and positive goals in Social Communication not only in person but through messages given on this religious festival and through supporting the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.
was later written in 1971 as an update to Inter Mirifica. A further document, Aetatis Novae, was published in 1992. In 2005, John Paul II wrote his final apostolic letter, The Rapid Development, on the topic of social communications.
In his message "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word" to priests for the 44th World Communications Day (16 May 2010), Pope Benedict XVI called for them to become digital citizens and engage with the information society
, saying, "Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.... Who better than a priest, as a man of God, can develop and put into practice, by his competence in current digital technology, a pastoral outreach capable of making God concretely present in today’s world and presenting the religious wisdom of the past as a treasure which can inspire our efforts to live in the present with dignity while building a better future?"
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
Decree on the Media of Social Communications. It was approved by a vote of 1,960 to 164 of the bishops assembled, and promulgated on December 4, 1963 by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. The title, taken from the first line
Incipit
Incipit is a Latin word meaning "it begins". The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is the first few words of its opening line. In music, it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits...
of the document (as is customary with significant Catholic documents), is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "Among the Wonderful".
Contents
The numbers given correspond to the section numbers within the text.- Introduction (1-2)
- On the Teaching of the Church (3-12)
- On the Pastoral Activity of the Church (13-22)
- Appendices (23-24)
Pastoral directives
“It is the duty of pastors to instruct and guide the faithful so that they, with the help of these same media, may further the salvation and perfection of themselves and of the entire human family.”Inter Mirifica insists that the Pastor should guide the members of the church so that they can help spread the good truth and further help the common good of the people of the world.
“It is however, especially necessary that all parties concerned should adopt for themselves a proper moral outlook on the use of these media, especially with respect to certain questions that have been vigorously aired in our day…This means that in both the search for news and in reporting it, there must be a full respect for the laws of morality and for the legitimate rights and dignity of the individual.”
It emphasizes that it is very important for the people of the world and especially the members of the church to uphold a certain amount of integrity and responsibility. They must recognize that in both the viewing of news and in the distributing of news, you have to be knowledgeable in the topic. As a reporter, you have the responsibility of telling the truth about the topic, and making sure the topic is appropriate to be reported to the masses. As a viewer, you have the responsibility of making sure that the article or report is a credible source, and furthermore making sure the report gives a good moral outlook on the topic.
Church policy on media
Inter Mirifica is thought to have overturned a previous Church position that was critical of the liberty of the press, a position that is found in the 1832 encyclical Mirari VosMirari Vos
Mirari Vos - On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism is the first encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI and was issued in 1832. Addressed "To All Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World", it is general in scope....
, which condemned press freedom because of the likelihood that some media content could be "poisonous" to the public.
However, it is also possible that this position has not yet been completely overturned, since it was re-asserted in December 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, who accused the mass media of producing "poison" that makes people less sensitive to violence.
Social communications
The term social communications, apart from its more general use, has become the preferred term within documents of the Catholic Church for reference to mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
or mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. It has the advantage, as a term, of wider connotation - all communication is social but not all communication is "mass". In effect, though, the two terms are used synonymously.
World Social Communication
Social communication
The term social communication refers to using the so-called social media. However there is no standardised definition yet recognised. Generally communication requires a social nexus of at least two entities in a technical or just social relation...
Day was created by the Second Vatican Council to provide an annual message for the church to its people and the rest of the world. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
vigorously promoted responsibility and positive goals in Social Communication not only in person but through messages given on this religious festival and through supporting the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.
Later documents
The document Communio et ProgressioCommunio et Progressio
Communio et progressio is a pastoral instruction of the Roman Catholic Church, issued on 23 May 1971, that was prepared in accordance with the Second Vatican Council’s 1963 decree Inter Mirifica...
was later written in 1971 as an update to Inter Mirifica. A further document, Aetatis Novae, was published in 1992. In 2005, John Paul II wrote his final apostolic letter, The Rapid Development, on the topic of social communications.
In his message "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word" to priests for the 44th World Communications Day (16 May 2010), Pope Benedict XVI called for them to become digital citizens and engage with the information society
Information society
The aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally through using IT in a creative and productive way. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic,...
, saying, "Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.... Who better than a priest, as a man of God, can develop and put into practice, by his competence in current digital technology, a pastoral outreach capable of making God concretely present in today’s world and presenting the religious wisdom of the past as a treasure which can inspire our efforts to live in the present with dignity while building a better future?"