On January 24, the Feast of St Francis de Sales, patron saint of all those involved in social communications, Pope Benedict XVI issued a message on the media's very important role in the life of individuals and society.

The Pope said that the media "have played a decisive part in the spread of literacy and socialisation, as well as the development of democracy and dialogue among peoples" and that "the media, taken overall, are not only vehicles for spreading ideas: they can and should also be instruments at the service of a world of greater justice and solidarity.

"Unfortunately though, they risk being transformed into systems aimed at subjecting humanity to agendas dictated by the dominant interests of the day. This is what happens when communication is used for ideological purposes or for the aggressive advertising of consumer products. While claiming to represent reality, it can tend to legitimise or impose distorted models of personal, family and social life."

The Pope noted that a sector of the media "in order to attract listeners and increase the size of audiences, ...does not hesitate at times to (resort) to vulgarity and violence, and to overstep the mark".

He warned that "when communication loses its ethical underpinning and eludes society's control, it ends up no longer taking into account the centrality and inviolable dignity of the human person. As a result it risks exercising a negative influence on people's conscience and choices and definitively conditioning their freedom and their very lives.

He stated that "for this reason it is essential that social communications should assiduously defend the person and fully respect human dignity. Many people now think there is a need, in this sphere, for 'info-ethics', just as we have bioethics in the field of medicine and in scientific research linked to life."