Dear participants and guests of the 4th International Catholic festival of Christian films and TV programs Magnificat-2008!
   Our festival, commenced at the Hlybokaye land four years ago, keeps gaining strength and opening new names and great talents in cinema and TV of different countries. We regard this as a good sign for the society of the 21st century. Our time needs universal messages of tolerance and peace opening the discussion on all the values based on the dignity God gave to His creatures really.

    The role played by TV and cinema in our daily life is much greater than we can imagine. The Church sees these new opportunities the social communications havegot and hopes they will help to promote and spread the Christian ideas and ways leading to God.
    The Gospel by Matthew proclaims: “What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must announce from the housetops” (Mt 10.27). Social communications, omnipresent today, accept their calling and create new Christian film works. The Christian media spread their place in the communication space of Belarus. Their mission is to promote all Christian values the Gospel, the source of infinite love, gives to the world. To serve the ideas of unity and mutual understanding, the ideas of tolerance and ecumenism, is the main task of The Magnificat festival.
    The Church will not cease backing the people of culture who bring the Light of hope and faith to the society.
I wish the participants of the festival, our directors, editors, journalists and authors to have interesting encounters, great discoveries and voyages in the land of media space. Let the world get the real honesty and truth of life thanks to evolution of the Christian film.

Vladislav Blin, Bishop of Vitebsk