Die Zukunft kehrt zurück: Die katholische Presse in der Gegenwart (I)

Abstract

Es gab Publik
"Es gibt keinen Index mehr / und auch das Imprimatur ist der Zeit angepaßt / Hexen werden schon lange nicht mehr verbrannt / und Syllabus und Antimodernisteneid gehören -= zumindest offiziell- der Vergangenheit an / Der Papst spendet seinen Segen und Elektronik übermittelt ihn in alle Welt / Es gibt Radiopredigerund Fernsehpfarrer / Welttage der Kommunikationsmittel/ kirchliche Journalistenpreise und eine Pastoralinstruktion / Es gibt eine Mediendienstleistungsgesellchaft rnbH und zwei zusätzliche Herausgeber beim Rheinischen Merkur I Es gab Publik."

English 

In the past decade the Catholic Church in Germany has made every effort to solve the crisis of the Catholic Press. After the closure of the weekly "Publik", Catholic Media planners directed their attention to the Diocesan weeklies and publications such as "Rheinischer Merkur" (weekly) and "Weltbild" (bi-monthly), and to the strengthening of the Catholic Nes Agency (KNA) and improving training. This was necessary on account of the decrease in circulation and the gap between the media and the Church. One ofthe most important developments in Catholic Communications work has been the establishment of a Media Service Company (Medien-Dienstleistungsgesellschaft-MDG) in Munich in 1975. This was part ofthe communications emergency planning at the Synod of the German Dioceses in 1972. The association of the Catholic Press - AKP- also helped towards a revival. New and improved cooperation among the diocesan weeklies - important instruments of dialogue within the Church - was developed. The author, in describing these developments, does not confine himselfto publications, but also refers to press officers ofthe diocese and to publications from religious communities and missionary societies which have an important rote in the press today. He feels that the crisis of the Catholic Press has been overcome, butthat a strenuous effort is needed to im plant this samepress firmly into the German secular communications media.