The Pope encouraged Brazilian Catholic communicators to become “tools of peace and unity” in a divided country.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis recently issued a message to Brazilian Catholic communicators, encouraging them to become “a tool for peace and unity” at a difficult time when the current epidemic is devastating the country. This message was sent to the participants of the 12th “Hand in Hand in Communication” event, which is an annual gathering for Catholic communication workers organized by organizations such as the Brazilian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
In his message, the pope emphasized that Christians are called to be a “sign of hope and mutual help” in Brazilian society, “inspired by their own beliefs, and firmly believe that the resurrected Lord will accompany his disciples until the end of this world” (see: Mar 28 20). This means becoming “a tool for unity and reconciliation, which is the important mission of the Brazilian church at this moment.” The Holy Father mentioned that the current political and social tensions are causing the country to fall apart even more in the crisis. Therefore, “Christian communication workers must promote a communication that can build bridges, seek dialogue, and overcome ideological opposition on the front line.”
In the message signed by Cardinal Palolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, it also pointed out that the first priority of communication workers is to “bear witness to the truth.” The Pope reminded them to take responsibility for their dissemination results, for the information they shared, and urged them to monitor and expose false information (see: Pope Francis’s Proclamation on the 54th World Communication Day).
The pope’s message was read online at the opening ceremony of the event by Archbishop Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Brazil. In his speech, Archbishop Azevedo emphasized the effectiveness and efficiency of spreading the mission in the Brazilian church.
There were about 5,600 participants in this event, a record high in the past. In addition to the Bishops’ Conference of Brazil, the organizers of the event also include the Brazilian Catholic Broadcasting Network, the Brazilian Department of the Global Catholic Communication Organization, and so on. The theme of this session is to promote overall communication and explore people in the new media environment. The activities are divided into six parts, such as conferences, round tables, presentations and reflections. The topics discussed at the meeting covered a wide range of topics, covering the relationship between real life and digital life, the various challenges it brought to the Brazilian church, spreading peace in an era of rampant false information, and the impact of new media on society and the church. Under the light of the encyclical “Brothers”, we will discuss the many challenges that the background of new media has brought to church groups, as well as the strategy of updating the spread of Catholicism in the post-epidemic period. The meeting also reiterated the critical importance of high-quality communication to the mission of the Brazilian Church.
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