Zagreb, (IKA) – “We are living at a time that is significantly characterized by the media and a wealth of information, so that in some ways one of the obligations of all those who want to work responsibly for the Church at this moment in history is to follow everything of significance that is occurring in the Church as well as in the society,” emphasized Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb in his interview for the 500th issue of the Catholic monthly Veritas. In this interview, the cardinal spoke about the importance and the tasks of the Church media, but also about the current situation of the media in the Croatian society. Among other things, he said: “The media in Croatia is experiencing a type of transition, with all its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, not infrequently, as well-intentioned analysts have pointed out, the media are prone to superficiality in the choice and approach to topics, exhibiting insufficient awareness not only of their informative role but also their educational role, subject to the influence of various interest groups, especially big capital, and succumbing to the temptation of serving profit at the expense of journalistic ethics and professionalism.” Therefore, said the cardinal, it is very important that the “recipients” bear all this in mind when using the media in the formation of their attitudes and philosophies: “Life, including Church life, is highly complex and has more content than its image in the media … We as believers know that ultimately God is the only master of world events. It is precisely in this religious attitude and openness toward Providence that I see the purpose for the existence of the Catholic media. The greater the need for a religious message, i.e. to the extent that the “recipients” are more interested in deepening their religious conviction, the more space will open for Church media and their impact will increase,” concluded the cardinal.

As one of the largest media projects of our Church since the fall of communism, the cardinal mentioned the establishment of Croatian Catholic Radio (HKR). “Via the radio waves of Croatian Catholic Radio, we have the opportunity to enter many homes, places of work, hospitals, automobiles and thus reach practicing Catholics as well as those who do not attend church or are not Catholics. This active pastoral activity via the radio through which we approach people, not waiting for them to come to us, is very valuable for our Church.” In response to a question about whether at the level of the Croatian Conference of Bishops there are thoughts concerning the introduction of a national Catholic radio channel, which would cover our entire territory, Cardinal Bozanić replied, among other things, that for now several initiatives have reached the bishops in this regard. “This concerns a demanding project that requires a very serious and rational approach. It is my opinion that before discussing any of these separate projects, it would be necessary to ask whether we are sufficiently utilizing the existing possibilities on national and local television. We are living in a country with a Catholic majority, which certainly has the right to its place on public television. In this sense, I think that we have not completely utilized the opportunities that are offered to us and which are guaranteed to us through an agreement between the Croatian Conference of Bishops and Croatian Radio-Television, and on the basis of a contract between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia on cooperation in the areas of education and culture. Similarly, the need is felt for the professional training of personnel who could produce quality programs on religious subjects at the level of TV stations. Therefore, we shall try to remedy the situation with professional training programs at the newly established Croatian Catholic University,” said the cardinal. He also mentioned that it would nevertheless be necessary to think about whether we need our own television station or a strong production company that would produce quality religious programs for broadcast on the existing television channels.

Cardinal Bozanić concluded this interview for Veritas, devoted to the media, by expressing the desire for “all of us together, individuals and family members, to work on media education, so that through the media we shall be able to recognize everything that is beautiful and useful for growth in love and humanity, as well as the subtle manner of manipulation that can enslave a person and lead down the wrong paths.”