This Friday, 6 June, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference will host a seminar at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, centred on the theme: ‘Communicating Christian Hope’. This event marks the Irish Church’s official celebration of the 2025 World Day for Social Communications, and has been inspired by the final World Communications Day message of the late Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.
The seminar has been organised by the Catholic Communications Office as the CCO’s contribution to the Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope, currently being celebrated in Rome and around the world throughout 2025. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the CCO, originally founded in 1975 by the late Bishop Edward Daly of Derry. His initiative, on behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, followed publication by the Second Vatican Council of its seminal decree on media, Inter Mirifica (Amongst the Wonderful), in December 1963.
Leading reflections at the seminar will be internationally recognised Catholic journalists Colm Flynn and Paola Arriaza (pictured above) of EWTN. The husband-and-wife reporting duo will share their personal and professional insights on the media coverage of the death of Pope Francis and on the election of Pope Leo XIV, as well as on communicating hope in the contemporary media. A video address on the value of Christian hope in business, by Kenny Jacobs of the Dublin Airport Authority, will be shown at the seminar.
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland and chair of the Bishops’ Council for Communications, will reflect on the significance of Christian hope in a digital, and often divided world.
In addition, a diverse group of speakers will offer short reflections on communicating hope in various real-world contexts, including by a seminarian; business professional; addiction recovery; humanitarian work; priestly ministry; and, young adult engagement.
Commenting ahead of the seminar, Martin Long of the Catholic Communications Office, said, “We are delighted to gather national and international communicators, diocesan and Bishops’ Conference colleagues, as well as members of the faithful, to reflect on the challenge and responsibility of conveying Christian hope in a media-saturated world. The words of Pope Francis continue to guide and inspire us as we work in an often challenging and counter-cultural environment. Our event will highlight the importance of media as a powerful tool to aid the mission of the Church, a concept originally embraced over sixty years ago in the vision of Inter Mirifica, as it identified the enormous potential of communications in shaping culture and in advancing the good news of the Gospel.”
ENDS