{"id":61755,"date":"2025-08-25T01:44:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T23:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?p=61755"},"modified":"2025-08-30T04:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T02:42:13","slug":"i-was-at-the-jubilee-of-catholic-influencers-heres-what-i-saw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/08\/25\/i-was-at-the-jubilee-of-catholic-influencers-heres-what-i-saw\/","title":{"rendered":"I was at the Jubilee of Catholic influencers, here\u2019s what I saw"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jubilee<\/p>\n

The report for UCCR by the young philosopher Pietro Calore<\/strong>, witness of the Jubilee of Catholic influencers<\/strong>. A narrative of what he saw, beyond the media filters and the criticisms<\/strong> of some Catholic figures.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

by Pietro Calore<\/a><\/b>*
\n*philosopher and writer<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 July I attended the first-ever Catholic Digital Missionaries and Influencers<\/strong> in Rome.<\/p>\n

It was organised (the programme<\/a><\/em>) across the auditorium on Via della Conciliazione, St Peter\u2019s and the Vatican Gardens by the Dicastery for Communication.<\/p>\n

There were more than 1100 registered participants<\/strong> from 75 countries around the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Jubilee of Catholic influencers: what a millennial takes away<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll start with a personal note<\/strong>: it was an immersive and electrifying experience.<\/p>\n

The organisation<\/strong>, though not always perfect (but what is in this world?), was effective in the most important thing \u2014 in creating a spirit of community, in building fellowship, in short in making Church<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Meeting in person faces previously known to me only through the web<\/strong> was a surprisingly intense experience.<\/p>\n

On one hand, contrary to my own millennial expectations<\/strong>, I realised deep down that the digital experience should only be a booster for the \u201canalogue\u201d one<\/strong> \u2014 deliberately avoiding the word \u201creal\u201d \u2014 which offers emotions and human bonds that cannot otherwise be replaced.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it strengthened my conviction that digital media are a necessary support for evangelisation<\/strong> in today\u2019s social context.<\/p>\n

This conviction was then confirmed by the thousands of young people who flooded Rome for the Youth Jubilee<\/strong>, with which our Jubilee chose prophetically to be in temporal continuity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Their immense and fruitful use of social channels<\/strong> to share their joyful faith experience through songs, dances, prayers, catechesis, tears and crowded metro rides was nothing short of miraculous. How else could they have brought it to so many people, against so many secular and Catholic media outlets that had already declared it a \u201cflop\u201d<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Unfair criticisms of the Influencers\u2019 Jubilee<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Yes, because, for different interests, many found this narrative convenient<\/strong>, which was indeed promoted on blogs and national newspapers until it was \u201ccrushed\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 as the internet says \u2014 within a few days by the social testimonies of the young participants themselves.<\/p>\n

With their simple phones, they showed everyone that the Church is alive<\/strong>! That it is not a medieval relic nor the dying victim<\/strong> of Vatican II or Pope Francis.<\/p>\n

Our own Jubilee of Catholic influencers<\/strong> was also targeted by this biased narrative<\/strong>, especially within the Church. I won\u2019t name names because I\u2019m not interested in dissing.<\/p>\n

Some said we were too few<\/strong> because the auditorium was half empty. Aside from the fact that it wasn\u2019t, what does that even mean? How many should we have been to count as \u201cmany\u201d?<\/p>\n

Does the speaker have a database of digital missionaries<\/strong> worldwide to say how many should have been there? Isn\u2019t the large presence of Asians, Americans, Africans etc. enough to prove the event\u2019s appeal?<\/p>\n

\"missionari<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some criticised the event using words and arguments that seemed more like a venting of their own personal grudges<\/strong> against members of the Dicastery for Communication<\/strong> (losing all credibility from the start).<\/p>\n

Some focused their entire analysis of the event on the phenomenon<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (which stood out for its marginality to those present) of the \u201cbodybuilder priests\u201d<\/strong>, revealing more about their own interests than about the subject.<\/p>\n

Some complained there were too many Masses<\/strong> (there was one at St Peter\u2019s, which saw the Pope\u2019s surprise visit), others said there were too few<\/strong>, as proof of the progressivism this Jubilee supposedly embodied.<\/p>\n

From my side, I heard the centrality of Christ<\/strong> in the digital mission affirmed by all the speeches<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, starting with the opening address by Cardinal Parolin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The programme included, besides the obvious passage through the Holy Door, in order<\/strong>: various moments of prayer, an adoration with penitential liturgy at St Peter\u2019s, the consecration of our digital mission to Mary in front of the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens\u2026 take your pick.<\/p>\n

\"pietro<\/p>\n

In the photo<\/strong> the conversation with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the video<\/strong> can be viewed on Instagram<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and on Facebook<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finally, some denounced a rigged selection of participants<\/strong> always from a \u201cprogressive\u201d perspective (ignoring that registration was autonomous and open to all).<\/p>\n

These voices, fundamentally insincere and coming from opposite extremes<\/strong>, confirm to me that this was an event aligned with God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

Even when we were bent over \u2014 without embarrassment \u2014 our phones making stories, reels and posts of all kinds<\/strong>, the shared experience was clear and strong: we felt the joy among us of sharing the same love and gratitude<\/strong> for the Church and for Jesus Christ in a thousand ways.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As a participant in this first Jubilee of Digital missionaries and Catholic influencers, I feel compelled to say: it was a historic event, the first Pentecost of the web<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ad Maiorem<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\n

Follow the author’s blog Understanding to Believe<\/a><\/mark><\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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