HONEST INFORMATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR DEMOCRACY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 3, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin spoke yesterday as head of the delegation of the Holy See at the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on the Information Society which takes place from July 1 to 5.

Archbishop Martin, who is the permanent observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, underlined that this summit must accomplish concrete results "for ensuring sustainable access to knowledge for the poorer countries, and for ensuring that such knowledge is effectively managed in the interests of the common good."

"Free and open communication and access to knowledge are, of course, in themselves powerful instruments for enhancing integration and strengthening personal capacity. Open communication fosters freedom within the global society. ... Honest and open communication is an essential pillar for the functioning of democracy."

The head of the delegation of the Holy See affirmed that "the Summit should examine those factors that impede or distort honest and open communication ... The distortion of communication ... undermines the trust of citizens in institutions."

"The Summit must however be careful not to create new antagonisms between government, the private sector and civil society. ... Good governance is not a magic formula imposed from above. It must not be allowed to become an idealogy. Good governance in the communications sector must also be a results-oriented process."

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