Fr Vito Magno: What did you experience in the long journey you’ve made?
I’d say a great wealth of transmission of values and experiences of men who have responded to God. I have seen so many works linked to communication, to the exercise of charity by the Church, in the most diverse and original forms – I’m thinking of the initiatives of American Catholicism in large cities, as well as solidarity initiatives for Africa... Christianity is rich in so many positive experiences. And having known them, I’m optimistic!
The book is divided into six chapters: Don Bosco, America, travel, youth, Sicily, the mass media. Is there a thread that unites them?
Actually, what unites them is their occasional nature: I wrote for special occasions and when I was called upon. For example, when there were Don Bosco's feast days, or in 1988 in particular, for the centenary of Don Bosco's death, many newspapers, such as L'Osservatore Romano, asked me for contributions on his figure, as I had been the Director of the Salesian Bulletin for a long time. Then, I traveled around the world, for Salesian information needs and to follow the events of the world of youth, such as WYD; the visits to Sicily were natural for me, a return home to relatives and friends; and young people linked to the Salesian mission; as for my stay in the United States, it opened a new window and many new perspectives on the world of mass media.
So can the book be considered a practical manual of journalism?
Yes, even though it came about occasionally, as a result of working on articles requested by various publications.
From this broad overview, is it possible to see how the Church-Media relationship has changed over the years?
Certainly, yes. There has been a journey of sharing, through technologies and appointments, such as the WYD in Santiago de Compostela, or the beatifications, which became expressions of slogans and models to be given to our youth and to all believers.
The Popes have known how to seize the challenge of the media: think of Pope Francis communicating with Twitter or speaking on the program "Che Tempo Che Fa". Are they right to intervene in this way?
Certainly, it is a positive fact to transmit the Magisterium as much as possible, even if each tool is different from the other. In the case of the television interview, the great responsibility of the journalist is evident, who selects the questions and then imposes the content; in the case of Twitter, instead, there is the risk of exploitation, because there is no immediate control. Social circuits are not easily controlled, but it is worth taking the risk.
The theme offered by the Pope for World Communications Day 2022 was "Listening with the Ear of the Heart." Why do you think the Pope felt the need to "listen?"
It's not obvious, or to be taken for granted. So much communication does not take into account the effects of the message and the kind of response that is given to the message itself. So many times the feedback is not listened to! According to some, communication is an up-down game, from the top down; for others, it is a game between two equal elements; but it is always a movement that requires a moment of waiting, of silence, to grasp the outcome of what we launched first.
The invitation to listen is therefore an invitation to be well-documented, to be attentive to the sources, to the possible reactions of the listener... The dimension of listening transversally crosses all dimensions of communication, and transcends technological forms. Today, in social networks, we sometimes lose this attention, this focus.
Even in the Church, there is a need for listening, says Pope Francis. Can the synodal path be useful in this sense?
I hope and think so. This synodal method should lead our communities to meet, to come together and also to open their doors to non-believers. Listening is therefore the basis of all this.
In conclusion, a personal question. Has the passion for journalism that animated you 40 years ago remained the same?
Yes, it has remained the same. It was born when I was a boy, with youth initiatives in the oratory, and the pleasure of communicating sensations, impressions, but above all ideas, still remains.
The complete interview is available as a podcast on the Vatican News website.
