Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bogota (Agenzia Fides) – With the participation of representatives from 20 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, the RIIAL (Information Network of the Church in Latin America) is celebrating its 11th Continental Encounter in Bogota (Colombia), June 3-5. The event has been organized by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Latin American Bishops' Council (CELAM), with the collaboration and support of the Colombian Bishops' Conference, whose headquarters is hosting the event. The Encounter is being attended by representatives from the Bishops' Conferences all over the continent, as well as in Spain, Italy, as well as members of the RIIAL's Executive Committee and the institutions that participate in the Network: “Centro Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe” (Santa Fe, Argentina), “Asociación de Servidoras” (Argentina), “Trimilenio” (Lima, Peru), “Catholic.net” (Mexico), “Instituto Superior de Catequesis Argentino” (ISCA), the Salesian Sisters, and others. Before the event, on June 1and 2, CELAM held a study session for authorities of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and CELAM, “to reflect on the demands of the digital culture and the role of the RIIAL in the Mission that the Bishops of the continent launched in Aparecida,” according to a note from the Network.
Present at the inauguration the Encounter were Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from Rome, Bishop Fabian Marulanda Lopez, Secretary General of the Colombian Bishops' Conference, Fr. Jaime Restrepo, Secretary adjunct of the Colombian Bishops' Conference, Bishop Guillermo Ortiz Mondragon of Cuautitlan (Mexico), head of the Digital Communications section and RIIAL, Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez (Auxiliary) of San Salvador, head of the Social Communications section of the Communications Department of CELAM, Monsignor Lucio Ruiz, member of RIIAL, Leticia Soberon, General Coordinator of RIIAL, and Fr. Carlos Arturo Quintero, Executive Secretary for Communications for CELAM.
In greeting participants, Bishop Fabian Marulanda Lopez mentioned that the Church cannot remain indifferent to the advance of technology and its importance in evangelization. He also thanked the RIIAL for their support on the Internet. He said that the Church “has the challenging task of entering in the world of technology, to work fearlessly in making the world a better place...so that the world can rediscover its foundations and truth can reign.”
Bishop Guillermo Ortiz Mondragon mentioned that the signs of the times are marked by the digital era. “With digital technology, man is entering into a new dimension of his existence,” he said. Bishop Gregorio Chavez spoke of how the RIIAL follows the model of Christ, the evangelizer par excellence. “The RIIAL has a passion for the Kingdom and compassion for the downtrodden,” he said.
Lastly, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, made an appeal saying that we should take advantage of this new culture created by the media and the most recent technologies. “The recent communications technologies open paths and bring about a new culture. Our task is to understand this culture more and its impact on people,” the President of the PCCS said. Archbishop Celli recalled that the RIIAL has been a pioneer in the comprehension of the digital media and in trying to make these reach those most in need and those excluded by the so-called digital gap. He also said that RIIAL must face how the Church can work with the digital culture and enter into dialogue with this world. “If the Church is not communication, it is not the Church,” he said.
The objective of the Encounter was to give a boost to the services useful for the Continental Mission of the Church, in the context of the digital culture, with the various audiences and users, without excluding anyone. They hope that these services will be made a priority and well-harmonized, to avoid isolation and dispersion.
The RIIAL, whose unique role is to facilitate communication and communion within the Church and serve evangelization through the digital media, will use this meeting to define what services it can offer for these two objectives, in support of the continent's Bishops. It will also study the best way to articulate the many initiatives that the Church has taken up in this area, respecting the diversity of each project and facilitating the unity of all of them. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2009)
