Promulgated on 4 December 1963, Vatican Council II’s Decree Inter Mirifica sets forth important principles concerning the relationship between the Church and the means of communication, starting with the fact that the Church has a right to use these means for her ministry and that she must ensure that they are used according her moral guidelines.
In fact, article n. 3 states: “It is an inherent right of the Church to have at its disposal and to employ any of these media insofar as they are necessary or useful for the instruction of Christians and all its efforts for the welfare of souls. It is the duty of pastors to instruct and guide the faithful so that they, with the help of these same media, may further the salvation and perfection of themselves and of the entire human family.”
A decade later, in 1975, speaking about social communications in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI affirmed: “When they are employed in the service of the Gospel, these instruments can disseminate the Word of God over a vast area and carry the message of salvation to millions of people.”