Among other things, believers were invited to educate young people to make moderate and disciplined use of these tools. The document, inspired above all by Jesuit scholar Enrico Baragli, had the great merit of focusing on the theme of communication as a formative and educational factor, suggesting some initiatives such as the annual celebration of Communication Day, refresher courses for priests and educators, the creation of special commissions.
After 60 years that document is almost totally ignored, although above all through the annual themes of the days dedicated to communication it was possible to explore one or other aspect of the topic. From the beginning there was no lack of criticism of the document itself, too focused on instruments as if it were enough to wind up the clock and go, and neglecting what would happen immediately after with McLuhan's insights on communication and message or Zygmunt Bauman's liquid society.
It would be necessary to wait for the celebration of the fifth day, 23 May 1971, to have Communio et Progressio, a pastoral instruction that completed the decree by managing to weld the relationship of the media with the world of culture. Then there will be other documents such as Aetatis Novae 22 February 1992, "Ethics of advertising", on 22 February 1997, "Towards a pastoral approach to culture" on 23 May 1999, and "The Church and the internet" 28 February 2002.
What can we say, going back and looking to the future now? Of course, watching the world of youth chat without any restraint that call for moderate use of tools makes one smile sadly. Today a Google App is enough to have a practical idea of what AI, Artificial Intelligence can do in providing us directly with the development of a particular topic. Today there are some of the same problems as yesterday: communication with all its messages and languages is a cultural fact and should be treated as such.
Otherwise, inventions and tools are pursued. The end of print journalism, if it corresponds with the end of the social dimension of authentic journalism, is a wrong road to take. What is the point of social communication without reference to the individual and their rights and society? The cheerful fans of free journalism should be reminded that open communication without respect for the linguistic characteristics and the centrality of the human being leads us to the determinism of dictatorships or to any kind of racism.
Undoubtedly, Inter Mirifica gave us a picture of the situation in the 1960s. Today we look ahead, but pay attention to the parameters of our communication, knowing that at the end of the journey there is always a human person.
