Hundreds of digital missionaries and Catholic influencers from around the world have gathered in Rome for the first Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Influencers, a two-day celebration aimed at fostering communion, deepening mission, and sharing hope through digital platforms. Source: Vatican News.
Promoted by the Dicastery for Evangelisation in collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication, the two-day celebration is part of the Jubilee of Youth and brings together those who evangelise online to reflect, pray, and celebrate together as one Church without borders.
Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, welcomed participants to the event being held at Rome’s Auditorium Conciliazione.
“It is beautiful to be together in person,” he said, noting that while digital platforms unite us, “what truly binds us is not the web, but something that transcends us: God Himself.”
Mr Ruffini reflected on the fact that the Church has always been a “network,” long before the internet existed, and that this network is one made not of code or content, but of persons – imperfect, diverse, yet united by one baptism and one faith.
He urged those present to resist the temptations of self-promotion and superficiality, and instead to reflect on their mission with humility.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, addressed the audience with an appeal to be “connected to hope.” In an age where misinformation, polarisation, and isolation can dominate online discourse, digital missionaries, he said, are called to offer something different: the light of Christ.
“You are not only content creators,” he explained, “you are witnesses. You are not just building platforms; you are building bridges.”
Cardinal Parolin stressed that Christian presence online must be marked by truth, charity, and humility, with the aim of promoting a culture of encounter.
“Even a short post, when shared in faith and love, can become a spark of grace,” he said. He encouraged influencers to remain rooted in prayer, Scripture, and the sacraments, drawing strength from the community of the Church.
FULL STORY
Catholic Digital Missionaries and Influencers share hope at Jubilee event (Vatican News)
