“The first thing I learned from experience – and it took me a while, however, to learn it – is that communication for a person who lives in the faith and in the Church is a participation in the mission of evangelizing, of communicating that it is precisely among the perspectives in which one can see the whole reality of the world, of history, of the relationship with God and between men ”. Father Federico Lombardi, president of the Rartzinger Foundation, former director of Vatican Radio and the Holy See Press Office, thus takes stock of his 80 years, in an interview granted to Alessandro Gisotti for Vatican news. “If one is called to work in the field of communication, he is called to collaborate – albeit in specific ways and tasks – in the very nature of the Church and in the relationship between God and humanity”, explains the Jesuit, who speaking of spirituality Ignatian adds: “Saint Ignatius speaks of the Lord as someone who works: this has always struck me very much. He is working around us in events, in history, in people and it is a question of knowing him, of seeing him, of recognizing him in his work and also helping others to see him, to understand him and to welcome him in his presence “. Speaking of his work in the service of three popes, Lombardi states: “over time it seemed to me a truly great gift, this call to collaboration, because the mission that the popes carry out is truly a marvelous mission for the good of people, of humanity, of believers. I was able to collaborate, to put all my strength to help this mission, in the specific sense of helping to understand, to make it known through our means, our ways of communication. It was a service for this great service of the Popes to humanity and to the Church. This has always fascinated me and I was very grateful to have been called to this type of work ”. Journalism, Lombardi observed when asked about what advice to give to young people, is “a beautiful profession, but one that must be lived as a vocation: not only as a career in which to develop technical skills, but as a way through which one helps people to to meet others, to establish a communication that is understanding, mutual dialogue. A communication that helps to know the truth and not to deceive others; in which we learn to highlight the positive aspects and not just the drama of the suffering or the problems posed by evil and injustices. Certainly these must be denounced, but the ability to show a presence, often a little more hidden but equally important, of good, of love is also necessary ”. It takes “patience and concreteness”, suggests Lombardi, “every day, to communicate well also from a professional point of view. Do not let yourself be dominated by technical-professional skills, but know that these must be put at the service of something great and beautiful in order to build together a society and a worthy civil ecclesial community ”.
Communication: Father Lombardi’s 80th birthday. “Telling good is a mission” | AgenSIR