Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. It’s a time of reflection and action – a time for people nationwide to focus on keeping children safe from mental and physical harm. Every year, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee designates a seven-day period within the month as “Safe Environment Week,” with a similar goal; protecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.

This year, our special observance runs from April 6 -12 and we are asking all of our parishes and schools to concentrate on our shared commitment to the creation of safe environments for our children and youth.

Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve enjoyed watching television, listening to good music and going to the movies. However, today’s media differs greatly from the shows and lyrics with which I am familiar. As an archbishop, an educator and a citizen, I’m deeply concerned with some of the values and morals portrayed in today’s media culture, and how it affects our young people.

Children are impressionable and depend upon adults for guidance. Like it or not, we are role models and they are always following our leads. Whether we are actively producing the questionable content or passively allowing them to absorb the adult-themed messages, we are all to blame. The good news is that we all have the power to bring the “Good News” instead.

In a recent statement, Pope Francis said, “it is important to remember that the Church is present in the world of communications, in all its forms, most of all to lead people to an encounter with the Lord Jesus.” As Catholics, we are called to live our lives according to the teachings of the Gospel message – the way Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Communicator, intended.

As adults and leaders in the faith community, we need to teach our children to be grounded in faith, values and character. Everything we do, whether attending Sunday Mass, watching our favorite TV shows or the latest movie releases, we, as Catholics, must always remember that we are a culture rooted in Christ, His words and actions – remembering our Catholic identity.

If we continue, generation after generation, to allow anti-Gospel messages to permeate every corner of entertainment, where will we be in 10 years? Twenty years? Thirty years?

Yes, keeping children safe in various ways is a big responsibility, as our current children are the parents, teachers and leaders of the future. Our sound decision-making today when it comes to media and morality has a direct impact on tomorrow.

So, what can we do? We can tell programmers that we want to be both entertained and edified. Let’s turn off our televisions when we see and hear objectionable content and turn on our children’s imaginations through reading. Let’s have real conversations with our children and grandchildren; teaching them the differences between “good” shows and “bad” shows, just as we teach them right from wrong in everyday life.

I know, it sounds like a lot of work. When we grab our TV remotes, our laptops and our iPods, we just want to be entertained – to escape reality. However, as followers of Christ, it’s our job to ensure that the reality for our children is a safe environment – not just for one week – but all year long. Protecting our young people is a positive way for us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the April 8, 2014 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.