VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the description of the World Catholic Association for Communication, or SIGNIS, which appears in the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful, published by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
SIGNIS is a worldwide network of associations, institutions and individuals working in the mass media, with the aim of alerting Christians to the importance of human communication in every culture, and encouraging them to speak out in this sector.
The association, which represents Catholic media in all the governmental and nongovernmental organizations and institutions, is committed to lobbying for policies to encourage communications that respect Christian values, justice and human rights; to involving media professionals in the dialogue on questions of professional ethics, and to fostering ecumenical and interfaith cooperation in the media sector.
The projects implemented by SIGNIS are extremely varied, ranging from the promotion of television programs and films by setting up juries to take part in film and television festivals (such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Monte Carlo, Prix Italia), setting up radio broadcasting studios, producing and distributing videos, and supporting the development of communication infrastructure (satellite telephony, Internet, Intranet).
One of the priorities of SIGNIS is to guarantee everyone quality access to the media by providing them with information including learning how to interpret and view critically, and to acquire new communication techniques and technologies.
