"Faith Communication in the Digital World” for young communicators

Young people from the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Timor Leste, Pakistan, and Thailand joined the 28th Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC)-Office of Social Communication (OSC) Bishops’ Meet participants via the virtual conferencing app on November 21.
 
The young communicators, with their mentor, Dr. Natasa Govekar, presented the partial outcome of a formation program offered by the Vatican-based Dicastery for Communication.
 
Since 2021, the worldwide project dubbed “Faith Communication in the Digital World” seeks to prepare young people for the communication challenges in their respective vocations.
 
Govekar, the theological-pastoral head of the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication, describes the project as empowering youth through coming together regularly in a “culture of respect, dialogue, and friendship.”
 
The goal is not about skill and technology training, Govekar said, as it is about helping young communicators realize the importance of the self and disposition in communicating and witnessing.

Govekar also presented the 34-page Church document "Towards Full Presence: A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media," which the Dicastery released this year.
 
The document hopes to address the issue of how “to live in the digital world as loving neighbors who are genuinely present and attentive to each other,” particularly in today’s social media.
 
Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, said that by “coming together as loving and merciful neighbors in today’s digital superhighways, we should be more effective in responding to the wounded left on the side of the road.”
 
More than 30 bishops, clergy, and laypersons gathered at this year’s Bishops’ Meet, from November 21 to 24 at the Don Bosco House in Bangkok.