About the Media Centre
What do we do?
The Catholic Communications Network (CCN) is the media office of the Bishops’ Conference. It exists primarily to serve the various departments, offices, agencies and consultative bodies of The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
The Conference has seven departments: Evangelisation & Catechesis; Dialogue and Unity; Christian Responsibility and Citizenship, Catholic Communications Network; Christian Life and Worship; Catholic Education and Formation, International Affairs. The Catholic Communications Network works to serve the multimedia needs of the departments – broadcast, print and online.
As well as publicising the initiatives of the Conference to the media and beyond, a major part of its work involves assisting the mainstream and religious media with enquiries about the Catholic Church in England and Wales. We also brief journalists and find appropriate Catholic spokespeople on key subjects.
Queries involving the Church at a regional level are directed to the appropriate Diocesan Communications Officer (DCO).
CCN Core Values:
The Church believes that the media can promote the values of the Gospel: peace, justice, compassion and truth. It can be a prophetic voice in the world speaking of God’s love for all, whatever their nation, colour, status or class.
Pope John Paul II summed up the Church’s view of the valuable role of the media in his World Communications Day Message in 2005.
He said:
“Words have an extraordinary power to bring people together or to divide them”
“Modern technology places at our disposal unprecedented possibilities for good, for spreading the truth of our salvation in Jesus Christ”
“The media have enormous potential for promoting peace and building bridges between people”
“The model and pattern of all communication is found in the Word of God… ‘for he is our peace, who has made us both one’” (Eph 2:14)