Archbishop praises PBS’s promotion of human qualities

Archbishop Charles Scicluna tours Public Broadcasting Services and expresses wish to reach out to more people • Video by Ray Attard

Archbishop Charles Scicluna toured the offices of the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) and met with staff members earlier today. He was greeted by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici and PBS Chairman Tonio Portughese.

During the tour, Scicluna praised the board and staff for their efforts in creating high quality productions and for fulfilling the educational and entertaining role of the media.

“One of the first things that comes to mind is the effect of television series on viewers. It is often said that if one wants to impart a certain quality in society, then the best way to do so is through a story. This station comes up with stories that are both entertaining, but at the same time, stress the human qualities of tolerance and inclusiveness among others,” Sciculna said.

Referring to the way the network had covered the ceremony for his installment as Archbishop on 21st March, Scicluna said that the effective coverage had been essential to reach people who couldn’t physically be ther for the event.

“The event became a National even because of the excellent service offered by PBS and its collaboration with other media houses,” Scicluna said.

He added that in being an unbiased portal, PBS was also an important tool for democracy and for spreading catholic values and viewpoints.

Scicluna explained that he hoped the catholic church would be able to continue to reach out to more members of the public through channels like PBS among others.

“I appreciate the help this station has provided me with in passing on the Catholic message to the people and I hope that we will be able to continue doing this and following the advise of Pope Francis, when he said that we need to get out of our comfort zones and reach out to more people with the message of Christ.”

Portughese said that the position and the values of the Catholic Church had remained important for the service and for the public in general, and that the TV, radio station and web portal dedicated a lot of their time to the church. He also explained that according to its latest survey, around 70% of Maltese people watch TVM at lease at one time during their day, and that the news on the station was watched by some 90,000 viewers every day.

“We feel we have an obligation to spread cultural, educational and religious aspects to the public and we want to continue to work in harmony with the church to pass on the good message,” Portughese said.