The false that masquerades as true, the compulsive zapping that replaces listening, the doom scrolling instead of intentional reading. And above all monologues disguised as dialogues, “where no one really listens”. Pope Leo
In three decades the program has told the story of Italy through 17 governments, 11 Prime Ministers, 4 Popes and 3 Conclaves. Extraordinary numbers that testify to a constant commitment to quality information. But in the meantime the medium itself has also changed profoundly: television, and more generally the way of communicating. Changes that bring with them new possibilities for knowledge, but also unprecedented risks against which the Pontiff invites us to be vigilant.
The ambiguity of contemporary communication
The new forms of communication “open up new horizons”, recognizes Leo XIV, but at the same time “they break down their boundaries”. In a continuous flow of words and images, it becomes difficult to distinguish what matters from what is superficialinformation from distraction, authentic listening from passive presence.
The Pope uses technical terms such as «doom scrolling» – the obsessive scrolling of negative news on social media – to describe now common behaviors. And he invites us to never give in to the “temptation of the banal”, using technological tools without losing “the uniqueness of our humanity”. Patience and foresighthe emphasizes, are essential elements for cultivating lasting relationships in an era that prizes speed and immediate reaction.
Sowers of good words
The theme is explored in depth in the message to the Fédération des Médias Catholiques gathered in Lourdes. Here Pope Leo XIV outlines the profile of the communicator in the digital age: «Sowers of good words, creators of an embracing word, a communication capable of reuniting what is broken.”
In a polarized world, says the Pontiff, we need “words that mend the lacerations of life, that build communities where enmity separates”. A clear no, however, to the “war of words and images” which too often characterizes public debate, online and offline.
Cite the example of Father Jacques Hamelthe priest killed out of hatred for the faith in 2016, as a model of patient dialogue: «To get to know each other you need to meet without being scared by differences». A call to be “seekers of the truth in love”, especially in the age of artificial intelligence where it becomes urgent to return “to the reasons of the heart”.
The message is clear: the media, even the Christian ones, are called to build bridges and not walls, offering a service of truth to everyone, believers and non-believers. In a fragmented digital context, the challenge is approaching others “without excluding anyone”, resisting the temptation to speak only to those who already think like us.
