ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - In Seoul, the "Signis" world congress: "the apostolate of listening" for Catholic communicators

Thursday, 28 July 2022 mass media   social communications   signis  

Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - Highlighting the importance of communication in our time and the commitment of all communicators to peace and truth: this is the objective of the World Congress of Catholic Media "SIGNIS" to be held in Seoul August 15-18. The Congress received a message from Pope Francis asking Catholic journalists and communicators around the world to encourage people, especially young people, to learn to distinguish truth from lies, good from evil, to improve their ability to think critically and to work for justice and social harmony. The theme of the 2022 congress, "Peace in the Digital World", is highly topical, given the recent global situation in which wars and violence continue. The digital media revolution "is a powerful means of promoting communion and dialogue within the human family, and has clearly demonstrated how powerful digital media can be in bringing humanity together during a pandemic", points out Pope Francis' message. The Pontiff calls for "the ability to 'listen with the ear of the heart', because communication is not just a profession, but a service of dialogue and understanding between individuals and communities, in search of serenity and peaceful coexistence". And he assigns in particular "the apostolate of listening" to Catholic communicators, warning them against hatred, fake news and discrimination that can pollute mass media and social networks. Finally, the Pope, referring to the local situation in Korea, recalled that the history of evangelization in Korea is linked to the mass media: it "shows the power of the printed word and the essential role of the laity in spreading the gospel". The "Signis" network (World Catholic Communication Association) is a Vatican-accredited organization that brings together lay Catholic journalists and communicators working in the fields of television, radio, film, journalism, the Internet and of media education. The World Congress takes place every four years. The headquarters of Signis World are in Brussels, Belgium, and the secretariat is in Rome, Italy. There are SIGNIS members in over 100 countries around the world and about 600 active members in Korea. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 28/7/2022)


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