Vatican City, 22 January 2025
JUBILEE OF THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION
24-26 January 2025
The Dicastery for Communication, during this Jubilee Year, will accompany the publication of the Message of the Holy Father for World Social Communications Day and the Jubilee of the World of Communication with a series of initiatives that centre on a call to action: an invitation to tell stories of hope. We cannot delude ourselves that we can build good communication ignoring the bad, but we can change the perspective, if we choose to tell of the sparks of light that are always present in every story, and that one can always glimpse even in the darkest scenarios.
The numerous challenges that communication and journalists face will be at the centre of several meetings scheduled for the coming days in Rome.
THE JUBILEE OF THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION
From 24 to 26 January, several thousand pilgrim journalists and communicators will be in Rome to pass through the Holy Door, meet the Holy Father and participate in various initiatives and events.
· The welcome will take place on Friday 24 January at 17.30, in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, with a penitential liturgy followed by an International Holy Mass on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales, presided over by Cardinal Baldo Reina. For this occasion, the Basilica will house the relic of Saint Francis de Sales, Patron of journalists.
· On Saturday 25 January, the highlight of this Jubilee of the world of Communication will be the pilgrimage to the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica, followed by an audience with Pope Francis in the Paul VI Hall.
The meeting with the Holy Father will be preceded by reflections from two great witnesses of a communication of hope: Maria Ressa, journalist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and director of the Rappler platform, and Colum McCann, writer, author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin, co-founder of the Narrative 4 network. The meeting will be moderated by Mario Calabresi, journalist and writer, former director of La Stampa and La Repubblica, co-founder of Podcast Chora Media, and will conclude with a musical performance by Maestro Uto Ughi, with the Orchestra promoted by the Uto Ughi Foundation.
Maria Ressa and Colum McCann will be present and available for interviews at the meeting point to be held in the Press Office on 24 January at 12.30.
In the afternoon of Saturday 25 January, the initiative Dialogue with the city: meetings of a cultural and spiritual nature will take place. The meetings – mostly open to the public – are organized by various institutions to explore the theme of the relationship between Communication and the Church. The list of all the events is available on the Jubilee site (https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/it/pellegrinaggio/calendario-giubileo/GrandiEventi/Giubileo-del-Mondo-della-Comunicazione.html).
These will include the meeting with Maria Ressa, Colum McCann and Mario Calabresi, entitled “Hoping for better communication”, at the Pontifical Patristic Institute “Augustinianum”, and may be followed in streaming by those who, due to the large influx of pilgrims, are unable to enter the Hall of the Augustinianum.
To accompany the Jubilee journey, the Dicastery for Communication has organized events for study and reflection also in the days prior and subsequent to 25 January.
1. “Weaving communion through Communication” is the conference dedicated to women religious engaged in communication, organized in collaboration with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation as part of the “Pentecost Project”, which will involve the participation of Sr. Abby Avelino (coordinator of Talitha Kum), Sr. Rosemary Nyrumbe (founder of the “Saint Monica Girls Tailoring Centre” in Uganda, Sr. Norma Pimentel (director of Catholic Charities of Rio Grande, United States of America), Sr. Alessandra Smerilli (Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development), Sr. Helen Alford (President of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences), Sr. Nathalie Becquart (under-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops), Sr. Dominic Dipio (Professor of literature and cinematography, Makerere University, Uganda), Linda Previato (Head of Media Relations of CUAMM, Doctors with Africa), Sr. Mumbi Kigutha (President of “Friends in Solidarity”, United States of America), Sr. Paola Moggi (Communication and Media Institute of the Catholic University of South Sudan), Sr. Rose Pacatte (Director of the “Pauline Center for Media Studies”, Sr. Lismy Parayil Chandy (film director, India), Soli Salgado (Director of the “Global Sisters Report”), Sr. Neusa Santos (Communication and Digital Culture Commission of the CLAR), P. Columba Jordan (“Called to More”), and Sr. Vassa Larin (“Coffee with Sister Vassa”). The conference, reserved to invitees only, will take place on 23 January in the Sistine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Library.
2. “Uniting communicators for a shared journey” is an initiative dedicated to a group of 150 young communications professionals from over 60 countries. During the event, from 24 to 26 January, the communicators selected by the Dicastery, as part of the project “Faith communication in the Digital Age”, will have the opportunity to converse with expert communicators such as Eli Pariser of New_Public, Chris Walter of On our Radar, and Paterno Esmaquel II of Rappler, and to participate in the experience of participatory storytelling with the Narrative 4 Group.
3. From 27 to 29 January, the International Conference for Catholic Institutional Communicators will be held, with some 200 participants including bishop presidents of the Episcopal Commissions for Communication and directors of communications offices of the Episcopal Conferences and the religious families. Besides the interventions by some of the speakers at the events of the Jubilee of the World of Communication, in the days of formation and sharing there will be speeches and testimonies from His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle (Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches), Fr. Paolo Benanti, TOR (professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University), Moisés Sbardelotto (professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil), Juliana Sfeir (head of public involvement at “SAT-7”, Lebanon), Peter Monthienvichienchai (director of LiCAS.news, Thailand), Chieko Noguchi (Executive Director for Public Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), Bishop Bernadin Mfumbusa of Kendoa, Tanzania, Matthias Kopp, spokesperson of the German Episcopal Conference, Bishop Valdir de Castro, S.S.P., president of the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, and Fr. David Arockiam, director of Madha TV, India.
On 28 January, liturgical memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin will celebrate Mass reserved to the conference participants in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Altar of the Cathedra.
ACCREDITATION PROCEDURE
Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the events at which the press will be admitted must apply, no later than 24 hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at: press.vatican.va/accreditamenti.
