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it must nonetheless be recognized that demographic growth
is fully compatible with an integral and shared develop-
ment” (
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
, no.
483). To blame population growth, instead of an extreme
and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way
of refusing to face the issues. It is an attempt to legitimize
the present model of distribution, where a minority believes
that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be
universalized, since the planet could not even contain the
waste products of such consumption. Besides, we know that
approximately a third of all food produced is discarded, and
“whenever food is thrown out it is as if were stolen from the
table of the poor” (Catechesis, June 5, 2013). (
Laudato Si’
,
no. 50)
Our efforts should, instead, focus on working with the poor to help them build
a future of hope and opportunity for themselves and their children.
Communications, Media, and Culture
87. Print, broadcast, and electronic
media
shape the culture. To protect
children and families, responsible regulation is needed that respects freedom
of speech yet also addresses policies that have lowered standards, permitted
increasingly offensive material, and reduced opportunities for non-commercial
religious programming.
88. Regulation should limit concentration of media control, resist manage-
ment that is primarily focused on profit, and encourage a variety of program
sources, including religious programming. TV rating systems and appropriate
technology can assist parents in supervising what their children view.
89. The Internet offers both great benefits and significant problems. The
benefits should be available to all students regardless of income. Because
access to pornographic and violent material is becoming easier, vigorous
enforcement of obscenity and child pornography laws is necessary, as well as
technology that assists parents, schools, and libraries in blocking unwanted or
undesirable materials.
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