Selling peace and The Catholic Weekly

Sydney
1 June 2003

Bishop: Gay consent bill opens a "Pandora's box"

Bishop explains in ‘pastoral message’

Meditation ‘not Christian prayer’

Clare’s crowd - her family of 71

Parish priest moves out of ‘intolerable’ position’ at Redfern

Patroness ‘role model in faith’

New ambassador to Vatican

Selling peace and The Catholic Weekly

Govt honours cardinal, bishops, laity

Don’t believe everything you read, but ...

Students chip in $9000 for Caritas

Editorial: Care of mothers

Letters: Scholarly work

Conversation: Anthony Succar, university student and president of the Society of St Peter - Faith, strength and kryptonite

Following the Maker’s instructions

Social change at heart of new graduate body

Rainbow Serpent in stations at La Perouse church

How a painting of the Resurrection can help girls at risk

Centre for Cebu kids needs cash: Smokey Mountain is calling again.

Vestments, chalice of pioneer priests

Selling peace and The Catholic Weekly

As the media becomes ever more powerful, its duties become ever heavier, too - so much so that the Pope, in his message for World Communications Day 2003, has called directly upon the media to promote the cause of peace.

The Cold War may be only a bad memory nowadays, but terrorism and hot wars afflict the Middle East, in particular, and elsewhere.

Pope John Paul II has called on the media to promote peace through seeking and speaking what is true, and by resisting the agents of propaganda and disinformation so as to promote peace through speaking the truth. In the space of a few days, the media can create positive or negative reactions to events, he said.

All this applies to diocesan newspapers like The Catholic Weekly, as much as to the secular media. But we also provide articles about Church events, people and issues that would never see the light of day in the secular media. And we use that name the secular media dare not utter these days - Jesus Christ.

We also augment the voice from the pulpit of our increasingly hard-pressed priests.

But we are nothing without those who sell the paper. Its voice cannot be heard without the help of the priests who tell parishioners of important stories in the paper and urge them to buy it - it is only $1 - and the men and women of the St Vincent de Paul Society who sell it at the door.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank sincerely those who carry out this work - good on you - and also to urge you to encourage those who have not learnt of the work we do (including promoting peace in an increasingly violent world) to pick up the paper and read it.

They may be surprised and, being surprised and - hopefully - impressed, join you in promoting The Catholic Weekly too.

Johanna Bennett

Editor