Picture This

You've seen the image.

CNS/Vatican media

How utterly incompetent were those who missed the incongruity between smiling prelates and the purpose of their gathering?

Smiling prelates gathered to discuss decades of horrendous sexual abuse, assault and clergy managerial malfeasance is hardly the kind of image the Church should release for general consideration. If given half a chance, the secular media will, too often intentionally, sensationalize issues and use images to maximize impact and thus profits gained from selling the news. Given that the news is highly commodified and that the secular media, in particular, rely on adapting images to maximize impact to maximize market share to maximize financial gain, the Church cannot be so naive as to release images which have not received a thorough assessment to minimize exploitation. Thus, photographs should only be released after a two or three stage vetting process that should include the following considerations:

1. the anticipation of potential adaptation or editing (e.g., cropping) that may compromise the meaning of the image;
2. the anticipation of potential headlines that may accompany photographs;
3. the anticipation of editorials that may (and typically do) attempt to spin the image to serve a material and/or ideological purpose.

A devil's advocate, who is the very definition of rigour, should be the communications officer (with binding influence) in every Church media organization. Such an officer must necessarily possess a highly refined moral compass and the practical common sense which guides him or her to provide the very best counsel to those who are responsible for communicating the facts (in a timely and dispassionate manner).

If Pope Francis has proved one thing, it is this: accessibility of a kind that fails to consider the virtue of prudence can do more harm than good. Transparency, on the other hand, is always a good thing. Our shepherds can and should be transparent by striving to be holy in all things in all ways at all times, which does include both authentic confidentiality (to preserve the integrity of the process of disclosure to ascertain facts and provide justice) and the timely and full disclosure of the facts to protect the innocent and to assist judicial process. And, we under the authority of bishops and priests must necessarily strive for the same holiness to which we expect our shepherds to hold us.