"Celebrity" PR: The troubles with being your own PR department

As of late, we have been looking specifically at the PR issues of companies and organizations. However, there are people of note in the world who are a company all themselves; some by choice, others by title. These individuals risk just as much as companies do in the realm of public relations in the case of their reputations and actions. As such, they need effective, efficient PR teams to manage their relations. Mostly, when we think of persons of note and fame, we think of celebrities or politicians (who may also be celebrities in their own right). However, today I choose to focus on a marginalized form of celebrity, one who, in the last two decades, has lost considerable celebrity and power status among the majority, but is still relatively powerful in developing countries (such as in Africa and parts of Asia) and unsecularized conservative religious countries (such as several Eastern European countries).  No, I am not talking about Britney Spears of Justin Bieber, I am talking about the Pope Benedict XVI.

In a November 2010 publication from Radio Netherlands Worldwide,a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, Netherlands, the problems and challenges facing Pope Benedict XVI were outlined and discussed in detail. Following some of his more controversial traditional stances on subjects such as contraception, Islam, Oecumenism, and abortion, to name a few, Pope Benedict XVI has faced various struggles with the general public, and is a character to whom an effective PR department is vital to the upkeep of his reputation and credibility. 

The article begins by describing a speech given by the pope about sexual and other abuse surrounding the time of his 5th anniversary as pope. His words caused great commotion and revelations from viewers around the world concerning abuse within the church, a topic that has had much speculation and controversy. The backlash from this speech was so great that tit overshadowed Pope Benedict XVI's 5th anniversary, showing just how powerful his words are. 

After taking his place as pope six years ago, the German Joseph Ratzinger experienced a less-than warm welcome after the death of Pope John Paul II, his predecessor. John Paul II, a warm, "mediagenic" pope, had a strong emotional hold over those of Catholic faith, and was his method of speaking was preferred to Joseph Ratzinger's cold, slightly distant manner of addressing his supporters. Many have speculated that the most significant difference between the pope's has been their respective manners of communication regarding certain important topics.

To begin with, Pope Benedict XVI is more conservative, and his traditional ideas became first apparent in his rejection of reform in the Vatican Council, as well as in his orthodox views about sexuality and genetic research. While Italian politicians generally pay heed to the Vatican, officials and citizens outside of Italy took issue with the new pope's stances. Most specifically, his anti-contraceptive comments on a trip to Africa cause great backlash in  several European countries, as well as brought criticism from the U.N. 

As for his stances on Islam, Pope Benedict XVI has also been reprimanded for his opinions. In one example, he referred to a medieval text condemning Islam. This referral gained particular backlash because of the delicate relations occurring within and outside the Islamic world. In his speech, he was quoted as saying, 

"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only bad and inhuman."

The fact that Pope Benedict XVI breached such a tumultuous subject at such a tender time simply shows the lack of efficacy in the treatment of his communication by this pontificate. According to Vatican-watcher Marco Politi, 

"Pope Benedict sees his press office as a mouthpiece for his ideas and not a place where journalists engage in dialogue with the church." 

This is clearly a miscommunication issue, as Pope Benedict's policies actually advocate the cooperation of the church with Anglican and Orthodox Jews, as well as closer relations with Islam. However, his poor communication tactics and ignorant blunders have resulted in negative backlash. In another example, he allowed the Lefebvre bishops to rejoin the mother church after being excommunicated for denying the holocaust, a move that led to serious problems and outrage from the Jewish community. Again, this just shows his lack of understanding of the media and his disregard for effective communication strategies and goals. 

Adding to more controversy, the pope has also failed in handling the backlash of pedophile scandal that caused a PR nightmare. According to Politi, he caused enormous damage to the perceptions of the church by refusing to be open and putting the church's interests first. In fact, he almost seems as if he has very little control, or at least understanding of his control, over a number of issues within the Vatican. 

This is not to say that the pope is completely at fault and incompetent. Rather, he is a very distinguished intellectual and a greatly appreciated theologian. After 6 years of being pope, Benedict XVI is not particularly popular, but he is respected. There is a strong need for him to re-evaluate his communications and PR teams and strategies, and put forward a more honest, but politically sensitive foot in the affairs of the church. However, if he continues to handle scandals and controversies in the same abrupt manner that he has shown, he will risk dishonoring and jeopardizing the future of the church and his own reputation. 



References:


Schaik, A. v. (2010, April 20). Public relations problem for pope | Radio Netherlands Worldwide . English | Radio Netherlands Worldwide . Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/public-relations-problem-pope

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