EUROPE/SPAIN - How to be Catholic on television? How to form a network of Catholic television stations for evangelisation? World Congress of Catholic Televison Channels hopes to find the answers

Madrid (Agenzia Fides) - How to be Catholic in television and how to build a network of Catholic television channels and be movement of cooperation for evangelisation are the goals of a World Congress of Catholic Television Channels to be held in Madrid 10-12 October.
The Congress is organised by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the archdiocese of Madrid, the García Morente Foundation with the collaboration of the Spanish Bishops’ Media Commission and the University San Pablo-CEU.
Congress Coordinator general Mgr Enrique Planas, a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, says the Congress will discuss problems facing Catholic TV lack of identity, professional expertise and means. The congress intends to lay the foundations to help the growing phenomenon of Catholic TV find a common identity. Mgr Planas said the Congress will reflect on the importance of communication, the available means and contents. “We will try to set parameters for Catholic TV without restricting freedom of expression” he said.
Congress directress María Rosa de la Cierva, secretary of the ecclesiastical province of Madrid, underlines "the international importance" of the event "which hopes to answer the diverse queries of all the many Catholic TV channels in the world".
One important matter for discussion will be how to build a network of cooperation among TV channels because Mgr Planas explained “we think the Church can offer suggestions on how to build a network and also how to live the concept of globalisation correctly and fruitfully”. Another important point will be how to start a free TV Programme Bank. “We hope to start a process to encourage reflection and increase the evangelising power of the Church”. In this sense Rev. José María Gil, director of the Spanish Bishops’ Media Commission said a network of Catholic TV channels would "produce a movement of cooperation for evangelisation. We hope to produce a world wide Catholic TV in synergy with diverse realities to render the message more effective".
The Congress will bring TV representatives of the five continents together for the first time. The organisers expect more than 250 participants from 48 different countries and many more unable to attend for lack of space in Madrid will take part as ‘video-congress’ participants.
Conferences will include the following subjects: "What is Catholic Television" (Bishop Eugenio Romero auxiliary of Madrid); "The service of Vatican Television Centre (CTV): How the Church uses new technology" (Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, CTV, Vatican Radio); " Television’s Impact on the World Today" (Gene Jankowsk, president Jankowski Communications System, United States); "Communicating the faith in a multi-religious context (Lurdinha Lunes, member of Canção Nova, Brazil); "The future of TV technology and its Consequences " (professor Derrick de Kerckhove, director of McLuhan Programme of Culture and Technology, University of Toronto, Canada); "Being network: concrete Networking experience (Leticia Soberón Pontifical Council for Social Communications and Coordinator general the Information Network of Church in Latin America, RIIAL). (RG) (Agenzia Fides 25/9/2006; righe 49, parole 634)