Pope Francis wrote and released his document on the family in 2016 during the Year of Mercy. This presentation gathers together Francis' comments on the reality, positive and negative influences and possibilities of entertainment ad information media and technologies on and for the family. Within the context of family values found in the Gospels this presentation describes media mindfulness as a faith-based response to our mediated world.

1. The Grand
Illusion:
Pope Francis on
Family, Media ,
Technology &
Communication
(and media
literacy
education)
Sr. Rose Pacatte, FSP
Pauline Center for Media Studies
2017
CSCC
BeMediaMindful.org

4. Family values!

5. Amoris Laetitia: The Joy of Love

6. New Ways of Being Church
in the Caribbean
• The Aparecida
Document
challenges us to look
more deeply into the
issue of the family
and the media

7. All the experts say:
The mass media have invaded
every space and every
conversation, making its way also
into the intimacy of the home.’

9. • 1st woman to
get a PhD in
computer
science: Sr. M
Kenneth Keller,
BVM (1913 –
1985)

10. Amoris Laetitia:
The Joy of Love
• Jubilee Year of Mercy
• An invitation to Christian
families
– To value the gifts of marriage and
family
– To persevere in love strengthened
by virtues of generosity,
commitment, fidelity, patience
• To be a sign of mercy and grace

11. The family through the lens of
theology, communication,
community, family, media and
technology

12. Families: which one are you?
• Suffering?
• Bloodshed?
• Disputes?
• Discord?

13. What kind of family are you?
• Poor?
• Physical illness?
• Mental illness?
• Old age?
• Death of a child?
• Loss of a spouse?
• Sick child?
• Ungrateful child?
• Sinners?
• Unemployment?
• Disappointment?
• Checking for lost
change?

14. Not enough wine?

15. Welcome to the Bible!

16. Why does Pope Francis
describe these realities “the
path of suffering and of
blood?”?
• Scriptures as a source of
comfort and tenderness
• To see, to experience grace and
mercy

17. The family around the table

19. Rublev’s Trinity: comunio

22. Influence of the media
Cultural decline
• Extreme individualism
• Isolationism
• Consumerism
• Disconnected love
• Disposable relationships
• Narcissism
• Using others as objects
• Too many life options?
• Material poverty, war

23. Misuse of the internet
• Spread of pornography
• Commercialization of the body
• Leading to prostitution
• Sexual abuse of children

24. Crisis of relationships
• Destabilization of the family
• Divorce
• Complex new family situations
• Bio-technology and limitation of births =
economic destabilization
• Addictions
• Distractions
• Aggression
• Violence

25. Great poverty of
contemporary culture:
Loneliness

27. And then you add media &
technology to it

28. Francis sees the role of media,
social and otherwise, for the
good - and not.
It’s up to us.

29. Family is a communion of
persons

30. Spousal love and sexuality
is a communion and
communication of love
“such a love, bringing together the human
and the divine, leads the partners to a free
and mutual self-giving, experienced in
tenderness and action, and permeating
their entire lives.” Gaudium et Spes, 50

31. Marriage is more than a
fleeting fashion; it is of
enduring importance

32. The joy of family:
welcoming, hospitable
• We can think of the lovely scene
in the film Babette’s Feast,
when the generous cook
receives a grateful hug and
praise: “Ah, how you will delight
the angels!”

34. Media is one of the educators
of children of the domestic
church
• Must be responsible
• Producers and consumers
• Parents

35. The role of the father
• Absent fathers
• Man caves
• If fathers want respect they
have to be part of their
children’s lives

37. How are we to judge
media and carry out
communication in the
family and in society?

38. Media Literacy Education
Media Mindfulness
• Access: Ask questions
• Evaluate: Deconstruct (what’s
going on? What’s really going
on?
• Analyze: Why pains? Who
gains? What Christian values
are presented or ignored?
• Act: What action does the story,
message ask of me?

42. Theological reflection
• We ask questions through the lens of
faith
• We look, listen, reflect, wonder,
analyze, think, assess, discern,
dialogue with our family and friends
as ways to understand life
• Theological reflection refocuses on
strengthening our relationship with
God and others

44. Take some time to
• Consider your values
• Consider the pervasive presence
of the media in your family,
community, work, church
• The influence of the media on
identity and daily life
• One idea: what is the answer?

45. As at home so often outside the
home and online

46. The formula (think )
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It
does not dishonor others, it is not self-
seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres. 1 Cor 13: 4-7

47. Love is not rude
irritable or resentful

48. What does media
mindfulness teach?
• Empathy, always empathy
• Dialogue
• Respect
• Don’t demean others
• Appreciate differences
• Motivate decisions
• Appreciate emotions! We live in
a world of emotions!
• Emojis and emoticons!

49. Family communion:
comunio

50. What is the Great Illusion
Pope Francis speaks of?

51. The Great Illusion
• Thinking that technology will
save us, will fill up the
emptiness or fulfill the longing
for God in our hearts.
• Don’t run out and buy the latest
thing to make your kids happy
because it simply won’t last.

53. Amoris Laetitia: The joy of Love
• God dwells in the hearts of
those living in grace.
• The Trinity is present in marital
communion.
• If a family is centered on Christ,
he will illumine its entire life.

54. • When a family is welcoming and
reaches out to others, especially
the poor and the neglected, it is
“a symbol, witness and
participant in the Church’s
motherhood”.

55. • Social love, as a reflection of the
Trinity, is what truly unifies the
spiritual meaning of the family and
its mission to others, for it makes
present the kerygma in all its
communal imperatives.
• The family lives its spirituality
precisely by being at one and the
same time a domestic church and a
vital cell for transforming the world.

56. Prayer to the Holy Family
• Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendor of true love; to you
we turn with trust.

57. • Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion
and prayer, authentic schools of
the Gospel and small domestic
churches.

58. • Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection
and division; may all who have
been hurt or scandalized find
ready comfort and healing.

59. • Holy Family of Nazareth,
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and
inviolability of the family, and its
beauty in God’s plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Graciously hear our prayer.
Amen.

60. BeMediaMindful.org
• Advanced Certificate in Media
Literacy2018
• BeMediaMindful2018