First and most important, the disciples proclaim Christ in response to the mandate he had given them. Before ascending into heaven he tells the Apostles: "You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). And even though these are "uneducated, common men" (Acts 4:13), they respond quickly and generously...Having spent time in prayer with Mary and other followers of the Lord, and acting at the Spirit's prompting, the Apostles begin the work of proclamation at Pentecost (cf. Acts 2). As we read about those marvellous events, we are reminded that the history of communication is a kind of journey, from the pride-driven project of Babel and the collapse into confusion and mutual incomprehension to which it gave rise (cf. Gen 11:1-9), to Pentecost and the gift of tongues: a restoration of communication, centred on Jesus, through the action of the Holy Spirit. Proclaiming Christ therefore leads to a meeting between people in faith and charity at the deepest level of their humanity; the Risen Lord himself becomes a medium of genuine communication among his brothers and sisters in the Spirit.

Proclaiming Christ in the Media at the Dawn of the New Millennium,Sunday, June 4, 2000,
Message of the Holy Father for the 34th World Communications Day