Church communicators in Philippines gather to reflect on AI's role in Digital Evangelization

Social communicators in the Philippines are gathering for the 2024 National Catholic Social Communication Convention, organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines - Episcopal Commission on Social Communications (CBCP-ECSC).

The convention, themed "Authentic Influencers for an Empowered Church," is taking place from August 5 to 8 in Banay-Banay, Lipa, Batangas.

The convention aims to foster meaningful discussions and collaborations to enhance the Church's presence in the digital world by bringing together key stakeholders, including media professionals, Catholic influencers, clergy, and community members.

During the opening Mass, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, Batangas, expressed hope that Church communicators would help create a culture of encounter through AI, allowing people to see things with God's eyes.

This aligns with Pope Francis's message on the 58th World Day of Social Communications.

Dr. Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, welcomed participants through a video message, emphasizing humanity's role in rapid technological advancement.

"We are gathering to reflect on the technological and anthropological challenges that we face in our time. One of the questions is how we can manage the exponential growth of AI systems without losing our humanity, but rather becoming more mature as human beings," Ruffini said.

Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit, Jr. of Boac, Marinduque, and head of the CBCP-ECSC, also welcomed the participants. He expressed his admiration for Church communicators and emphasized their importance in evangelization.

A highlight of the event is a presentation by Dr. Peter Monthienvichienchai, a media professional from Thailand and Secretary General of SIGNIS. His talk, "Artificial Intelligence in Evangelization: Meeting Church Challenges Head-on," addresses how AI can tackle the Church's communication challenges.

This year's assembly gathered 250 delegates from dioceses all over the Philippines. The convention is an annual event previously called the National Catholic Media Conventions, initiated by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara in 2015.