Pontifical Council for Social Communications

The Pontifical Council for Social Communications ("Pontificium Consilium de Communicationibus Socialibus") is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Established by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988, it is responsible for using the various forms of the media in spreading the Gospel.

The current President of the Council for Social Communications is "His Excellency" Claudio Maria Celli, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on June 27, 2007 to succeed the long-time incumbent John Cardinal Foley.

Role

According to Article 169 of the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, "Pastor Bonus", promulgated by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988: "The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is involved in questions regarding the means of social communication, so that, also by these means, human progress and the message of salvation may benefit secular culture and mores." Article 170 also states that: "The chief task of this Council is to encourage and support in a timely and suitable way the action of the Church and her members in the many forms of social communication. It takes care to see that newspapers and periodicals, as well as films and radio or television broadcasts, are more and more imbued with a human and Christian spirit."

History

The PCSC began as the Pontifical Commission for the Study and Ecclesiastical Evaluation of Films on Religious or Moral Subjects, established on January 30, 1948 by the Secretariat of State of Pope Pius XII. Bishop Martin John O'Connor was appointed as its President and its four original members including Monsignor Maurizio Raffa (representing the Sacred Congregation of the Council), Monsignor Ferdinando Prosperi (representative of the office "Catholique International du Cinématographe" and provisional Secretary of the new Commission), Giacomo Ibert, and Ildo Avetta. The Commission was housed in a single room at the Palazzo San Carlo in Vatican City.

On September 17, 1948, Pius XII approved the statutes of this new Curial office, which was then renamed the Pontifical Commission for Educational and Religious Films.

Current structure

*President: Archbishop Claudio Celli
**President(s) Emeritus: Andrzej Cardinal Deskur, John Cardinal Foley
*Secretary: "vacant"
**Secretary Emeritus: Bishop Pierfranco Pastore
*Undersecretary: Angelo Scelzo

List of Presidents of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications

*Martin John O'Connor (1948 - 1971)
*Agostino Ferrari Toniolo (Pro-President, 1969 - 1971)
*Edward Louis Heston, CSC (1971 - 1973)
*Andrzej Maria Deskur (1973 - 1984)
*John Patrick Foley (1984 - 2007)
*Claudio Maria Celli (2007 - present)

External links

* [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/index.htm Official Vatican website]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dxsco.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/romancuria/d26.htm Giga-Catholic Information]