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Porto Alegre (Agenzia Fides) – The Continental Meeting of Catholic communities called "Mutirão de Comunicação” from Latin America and the Caribbean (Muticom) which was opened on February 3, closes today in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Muticom, which is organized by the Bishops' Conference of Brazil, by CELAM, by the Catholic Bishops of Latin America for Communication (OCLACC) and other agencies of the Church, was inaugurated by the President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio M. Celli.
In his speech, Archbishop Celli, speaking of the "Church as a living body in an Internet-oriented society," presented the first comprehensive on-line Catholic media catalog. This new link, with a “Wiki” format to it, is a collaborative effort among editors logged into the system. It is also encouraged by CELAM, SIGNIS, and other international Church entities. The presentation of "intermirifica.net" offered the opportunity for Archbishop Celli to consult the participants in the Muticom, noting that in Brazil alone there are over 180 Catholic radio stations, while throughout the entire African continent there are just under 200 Catholic radio stations, and that opportunities for synergies, exchange, and mutual cooperation are now opened.
Fr. Ariel Beram, official of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, interviewed by Agenzia Fides on first impressions from the portal intermirifica.net, reported that "for the missionaries it presents an opportunity to create establish contact among the media, as well as within their own religious congregation." He then added: "You cannot plan a missionary activity without objective knowledge of the resources on which we depend. In this sense, Intermirifica.net will help reveal the specific situation of different contexts are to be evangelized...For us, the media emphasizes the catholicity of the Catholic Church, where respecting the charism and sensitivity of the missionaries, we feel like part of a big family." The Muticom, which was held at the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, brought together specialists from 37 countries who reflected on the central theme: "The Processes of Communication and Cultural Solidarity." (CE) (Agenzia Fides 06/02/2010)
