By Fr. Ambrose Pereira, SDB

       Seoul, Korea, 23 August 2022 -- SIGNIS, World Catholic Association for Communication, a Vatican-accredited organization brought together 300 participants for the World Congress held in Seoul, Korea from 14 to 18 August 2022. Among the participants were 89 international participants from 30 countries working as Catholic lay journalists and communicators in the fields of TV, radio, film journalism, internet, and media education. The Congress was held in a hybrid form in person as well as virtual. Participants across the world were able to connect via ZOOM, YouTube, metaverse and follow the sessions in four languages – English, Spanish, French and Korean.

       The message of peace emerged in a variety of ways from this land of martyrs, a divided country, and the global IT powerhouse. The cultural and historical tour at the start of the Congress gave us an opportunity to understand the historical background of this divided country. A culture of disciplined, dedication and strong commitment to committed faith emerges in all that the people do. Each study session opened with a lively presentation in song, dance, or an insightful video.

       The topic for the first day was: ‘Hyper connected yet alone.’ Dr Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication dealt with this paradox of our time. A time when we are so connected and yet a victim of loneliness. He invited us not to legitimize the web, that imprisons everything on a spider’s web, but to weave a web of truth and beauty, faith, and hope. “We need to make our Net the most meaningful experience of encounter, dialogue, knowledge and relationship”, he said. Fr Anthony Le Duc svd, Thailand, summarised the various forms of disconnection and offered pastoral challenges for the synodal church in our digital age. Kenyan Loreto sister focused on the violence in schools and advocated for non-violence as a spirituality and a way of life to prevent violence at all levels. Dr Natasha Govekar dealt with spiritual communication through art and symbolic language. The Sustainability Developmental Goals were presented as visions from a Sustainable future by Dr Paolo Granata from Canada.

       Divisions caused by Fake News was discussed on the second day, highlighting the negative impacts on individuals and on society and the possible solutions to this problem that brings about conflicts within society. Nobel Prize winner for 2021, Mr Dmitry Muratov, Russia, shared his experience as he worked in the hotspots of violence in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Mr Śinasi Alpago and a Myanmar Sister spoke of their experience of dealing with fake news in political circles in Turkey as well as among the young people in Myanmar. Fr Minsoo Kim Ignatius, Korea dealt with the role of the church to infuse trust. While Prof. Jaime Carril highlighted the need for ‘Rights and Ethics’ in communication stating the need for public policies in education and values. The reality of our ‘Fake Lives’ today was projected dramatically by Conrad Saldanha, India, as he pleaded for transparency and the need for us to recognize the ‘true, good, and beautiful’ that is all around us.

       Protecting our Common Home was the topic on the third day. Dwelling on Pope Francis’ ‘Ecological Conversion’, Prof Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, USA reminded us to build a sustainable relationship between humanity and the environment, thus building social justice among and within people. Dr Raekwon Chung, Korea spoke of the new normal that requires a new paradigm, requiring a long-term development in people and the planet that will deliver a higher ecological and social quality of life. Ms Solange Didiego, Argentina shared her life changing experience as one of the nine youth communicators who participated in the four-month SIGNIS training in India, and the final product ‘Unfold Nest’. Mr Kike Delgado invited us to reflect on the need to respond with compassion on the cultural paradigms inspired by the Gospel. And Ms Junkyeong Choe, Korea, focused on ‘plogging’ which looks at ways to utilize digital technology to spread ‘environmentalism in everyday life.’

       The international Journalists Forum explored the roles and tasks that journalists must undertake to safeguard peace. The International Youth Forum strengthened ties among youth people to realize the common good of peace.

       The presentations on the different topics were clear, creative and gave us insights from different corners of the globe. Papua New Guinea has much to learn - the need to offer our journalists the freedom to promote and highlight the voices of the young, the poor, the deprived and the underprivileged. These voices should be listened to and responded to thus giving value for the common good. Sadly ‘Fake news’ has seeped into every facet of our society. This has undervalued the common good. Only when honesty and truth prevail can a society, community and a people develop and progress.

---

---