Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., new director of the Vatican press office, recently remarked that he saw no need to interpret the thinking of Pope Benedict XVI. The pope does an excellent job of speaking for himself and doesn’t need interpreters, the priest explained.
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Here’s What I Meant
Poor Father Lombardi! Scarcely had he uttered those sentiments when all Hades broke loose over Pope Benedict's comments about Islam. All of sudden the director of the sala stamp found himself scrambling, along with the pope and others in the Vatican, to interpret the papal comments in Regensburg and douse the raging flames of Islamic wrath.
There are many conclusions to be drawn from this painful episode. Begin with the fact that Pope Benedict was seriously misunderstood and grievously misinterpreted by outraged Muslims. It appears that the angry residents of the famous Arab “street” were misled by the media, misled by their leaders, and above all misled by their own readiness to see themselves as victims.
But these ugly events also underscore another important lesson, one that has to do with communication — and miscommunication — in the Church. The lesson is that popes and churchmen, like other public figures, need to receive and heed prudent advice from seasoned communicators before they speak publicly about sensitive matters.
Unintended Consequences
As people who've spent time giving such counsel are all too aware, however, it can often be difficult to get people at the top to seek such advice and listen to it. Hubris, carelessness, or failure to grasp the dynamics of the media world underlie many a costly gaffe.
And the pope? I don't pretend to know the inner workings of the Apostolic Palace these days, but it seems pretty clear that Pope Benedict, writing in the manner of the professor he once was, composed his complex Regensburg remarks on faith and reason without worrying much about the public relations implications of what he proposed to say. In anecdotally quoting — in a speech intended for delivery in an academic setting — a 14th-century Byzantine emperor's highly critical comments about Islam and Mohammed, without embracing them himself, he evidently saw no pitfalls ahead.
A smart and experienced media advisor might have begged to differ. Unfortunately, it's unlikely any such advisor ever got the chance.
Imagine That
It's easy to blame the media for quoting out of context in a case like this, and to some extent the blame is deserved. Still, no one familiar with the way media work would have imagined that the guys from AP, Reuters and the rest were going to spend time trying to parse Pope Benedict's subtle thoughts about philosophy, religion, and interfaith dialogue. The job of reporters in such situations is to discern and report whatever news they find there — and when the head of the Catholic Church says (or simply quotes) something violently critical of Islam, that very definitely is news.
I was reminded by this incident of something the Vatican's own social communications council said a few years ago in a document called Ethics in Communications. It says in part:
The Church would be well served if more of those who hold offices and perform functions in her name received communication training. This is true not only of seminarians, persons in formation in religious communities, and young lay Catholics, but Church personnel generally.
That's a good point and one applicable, as the Regensburg uproar indicates, starting at the very top. Obviously it would be absurd to expect a pope to be a PR professional. Now and then, though, he needs to hear from those who are.
Russell Shaw is a freelance writer from Washington, D.C. You can email him at RShaw10290@aol.com.
