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Bangalore (Agenzia Fides) - "Creating networks, connecting to walk together, work together, evangelize together" is how Father Cyril Victor Joseph, Indian priest, coordinator of the Episcopal Commission for the Apostolate, describes with the media of the Conference of Bishops of the Latin Rite of India (CCBI), the objectives of the new App "Catholic Connect", which was unveiled and officially launched today in Bangalore during the 25th Assembly of the CCBI. "Catholic Connect" is an App platform for mobile phones and tablets developed by the Commission and aims to connect the Indian Catholic community both in India and around the world. The App provides a platform for access to spiritual and pastoral content, information and News, but also on useful services related to the network of parishes in a specific area or cooperation in areas such as education, health, employment. The Executive Committee of the CCBI decided to develop such an App as early as 2022, which also represents a comprehensive database to connect all the realities and resources of the Catholic community in India and to facilitate dialogue. Father Cyril Victor emphasizes: "For us, the App is essentially a tool of synodality, participation and community. In the Latin Rite Catholic Church in India alone, there are 132 dioceses in 28 states with over 20 million believers and 20,000 priests and 65,000 women religious. It will be beneficial and beneficial for everyone to be connected. The project will pave the way for a national database of Latin Catholic believers". The App, available on both Android and IOS platforms, aims to engage the various Catholic institutions, bodies and associations. It will also give visibility to all CCBI commissions and their various activities, training courses and specific programs, with the aim of maximizing involvement and participation. It aims to provide relevant news and information from the Indian Catholic Church from the 14 different ecclesiastical regions into which the dioceses are divided. "In addition to the tools for pastoral animation, catechesis and Bible study," adds the priest, "the 'Catholic connect' network also wants to pay particular attention to migrants, all those people who move from one area to another or from a diocese move to another to work or because they have been displaced due to climate disasters or natural causes”. This approach aims to strengthen the sense of community of all baptized Indians who can feel at home in or be welcomed by the various communities in a given area as "brothers and sisters in Christ". As Father Victor points out, "the media apostolate is today a very important area for the Indian Church. In the period of the pandemic, especially in 2020, it has developed even more and better," and it continues to develop through training programs that include all those in the Church who are dedicated to or involved in communication. The media apostolate, the priest concludes, today represents a type of evangelization that is spreading and prevailing, especially among young people. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 30/1/2024)
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