The Church has long realised the importance of the social means of communications as weapons to transmit its message of salvation. Seventy-five years ago, in 1931, when radio was literary in its infancy, the Vatican set up its own radio station, which is still going strong, transmitting in a great number of languages 24 hours a day.

Recently it has introduced its own TV channel, Sat 2000. Church-owned TV and radio stations have spread throughout the world. No doubt the best known is EWTN, the Eternal World Television Network.

The station was the brainchild of American nun, Mother Angelica, a Poor Clare sister who decided to start broadcasting on TV after she had been giving radio talks, which were well received in the Seventies. Then, in 1981, exactly 25 years ago, realising the huge potential of television, she decided to open a TV station in a garage at the convent in Birmingham, Alabama.

She just had £100. From then on she never looked back and now EWTN is a global operation, making use of radio, Internet, satellite and cable communications, employing 300 people. The costs run up to £1 million per month. It is funded by donations from some wealthy Americans but mostly by offerings from millions of viewers across the world. It is estimated that over 105 million homes in over 110 countries, tune in regularly to EWTN transmissions.

Now 83, and physically disabled, Mother Angelica though obviously "proud" of her achievement, still leads a contemplative life in the convent with some 40 other sisters. She never would have believed that her very modest project would develop into the Catholic media empire that it is today.

In spite of her tremendous success and popularity Mother Angelica has had, and still has, her critics in the United States and elsewhere. Those who know her personally criticise her character and personality.

It is reported that she has clashed more than once with Archbishop Maloney of Los Angeles and with media people. Tact and diplomacy, it seems are not her greatest virtues.

Others simply do not agree with the content and format of EWTN broadcasts. With regards to the content, they say that it is too conservative, almost pre-Conciliar. As for the presentation and format they claim that most of the programmes are replica transmissions of church and religious functions. Such programmes, whether on EWTN or other radio stations, they claim, only attract the already converted, the extremely devout Catholics.

The Catholic media, they insist, should go for a much wider audience, particularly those who, though believers, have stopped going to church or go only on special occasions.

Experience has shown that in today's world there is scope for both: the religious and the ultra-conservative as well as the "progressive" but Christian-inspired media.

This apart, one cannot but be impressed by what a highly determined woman, whose childhood was far from happy (her father abandoned the family when she was in her teens), suffered from stomach ailment and was later crippled through an accident when she entered the convent and was miraculously healed. When commenting on her now legendary success the former Rita Rizzo who became Mother Angelica simply shrugs her shoulders and says: "I didn't do it...God did."

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