The head of the social communications office of the Catholic Church in Thailand encouraged Asian church communicators to be the “sowers” of good stories.
“[We] are invited to inject the value of the Gospel and the Word of God into the world with declining peace,” said Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil of Surat Thani.
The prelate made the statement during the SIGNIS Asia Assembly at Baan Phu Waan Pastoral Training Center in Thailand on October 24.
SIGNIS, or the World Catholic Association for Communication, is recognized by the Vatican as an International Association of the Faithful with the mission to “help transform cultures in the light of the Gospel by promoting human dignity, justice, and reconciliation.”
Bishop Sridarunsil said Catholic communicators are much needed in a world “that is more interested in bad rather than good news, the world full of bullying, racial and sexual discrimination, and the desperate cries of the voiceless”.
The prelate likened Catholic communicators to fertile soil, “absorbing good stories to spread love” in the digital realm.
He said the aim of the Church’s social communication is to create a Synodal Church, fostering communion, participation, and a mission of love.
Father Stanley Kozhichira, president of SIGNIS Asia, said communication plays a huge role in fulfilling the mission of a listening and caring Church.
He emphasized the importance of promoting collaboration and respect among various Catholic organizations involved in spreading the Gospel and in witnessing the Church of the Poor.
Over 80 people from various Catholic institutions in 13 countries in Asia attended the assembly.
In her message to SIGNIS Asia, Helen Osman, president of SIGNIS World, emphasized the importance of mentoring, collaboration, and mutual respect among delegates, especially in the context of widening participation within SIGNIS.
“We are called to make SIGNIS known as an organization where Catholic communicators can come together, regardless of where they work, for collaboration, promotion, and strengthening of their work,” she said.
