The Jubilee Year 2025 was inaugurated with the Jubilee of the World of Communications on January 24, 25 and 26. For the first time in history, an event of this kind dedicated to communicators was held: journalists, editors, media employees, priests and members of communication offices, religious and lay people gathered by the hundreds in Rome to participate in the activities proposed to highlight their work in relation to the Church. These events were followed on January 27-29 by a conference for the presidents of episcopal communications commissions, directors of social communications offices and international communications coordinators of religious congregations.
Our communications coordinator, Agustina Gómez, had the great opportunity to participate in the public events of the Jubilee and in the conference, over six intense days: today she shares her chronicle with us.
“To communicate is to go out of oneself a little in order to share what is mine with the other. And to communicate is not only to go out, but also to meet the other” – Pope Francis
Source: Vatican.va
To be Catholic is, by definition, to be people of hope. In the face of every evidence, in the face of every prognosis, to continue to trust. The motto of this Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope,” challenges us communicators to create a better world with the tools we use best: our ability to tell stories, which is what connects us with people.
This was the message that threaded through all the Jubilee events, both public and conference: the hope that we can make a better world, from where we are, by being who we are, resonated in the words of all the speakers.
Jubilee of the World of Communication
Penitential Liturgy
All important things need preparation. The Jubilee journey we began on January 24 required an open heart, ready to receive with humility and gratitude. Therefore, it was very special to begin the Jubilee program with this meeting dedicated to the sacrament of reconciliation.
In the imposing Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, resplendent in the winter night, the penitential liturgy and Mass were celebrated in honor of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists; a relic of the saint’s heart was also on display for the occasion. More than 60 priests were on hand to hear confessions in different languages. The excited and excited mood here had the opportunity to calm down and give dimension to the experience that was beginning.
Pilgrimage to the Holy Door
The Holy Door is the most characteristic symbol of the Jubilee, the dedicated path through it. On Saturday, January 25, we pilgrims set out early in the morning from Piazza Pia in the direction of St. Peter’s Basilica. From 8:00 a.m., one linguistic group after another followed the cross and prayed in different languages. It was moving to walk along Via della Conciliazione as the sun was illuminating the façade of the basilica, and to finally arrive at the Holy Door surrounded by pilgrims who shared my emotion.
Cultural meeting with María Ressa and Colum McCann
After the pilgrimage to the Holy Door and a tour of the imposing interior of St. Peter’s Basilica, we were directed to the Aula Paolo VI. There, thousands of pilgrims sat comfortably in an impressive space and experienced firsthand the breadth of the universal Church: more than 139 different nationalities were gathered there.
A panel discussion moderated by the Italian journalist Mario Calabresi was held there, with the intervention of Maria Ressa, Filipino journalist, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2021 and director of the Rappler platform; and Colum McCann, Irish writer and co-founder of the Narrative 4 network, an organization that promotes storytelling with storytelling. Following the Jubilee theme, all speakers addressed the theme of hope in communication, noting that the narrative of evil cannot occupy all available space, and that our mission is to counterbalance it with a narrative of hope.
Maria Ressa invited reflection on the crisis of democracy and the dangers of internet manipulation. An investigative journalist, she has been the target of attacks by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for decades. For his informative work, he has received important distinctions, from UNESCO to the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. In her speech, she shared with closeness and naturalness her point of view regarding the moment of rapid transformations we are living, and the role of journalists in it. It was especially striking to hear her say that:
“Online violence is real violence. One feeds the other.”
Colum McCann, for his part, made a vindication of the power of stories and narratives, especially in today’s world, as this is what reveals to us the humanity in others.
“If we live in times of rupture, then the new theme must be repair.”
The writer also invited to action, since change does not occur only with the reception of stories, but with the movement they trigger.
After the speeches, we enjoyed a short concert by Maestro Uto Ughi, one of the great exponents of the Italian violin school, accompanied by his orchestra. Tucked in the last bars finally came Pope Francis, who chose to shorten the 9-page speech he had prepared, to succinctly share with us the essence of what he wanted to say: what we communicators do matters. Let us do it truly, and be true to ourselves.
Afterwards, the Holy Father came down from the stage and walked down the aisles greeting the attendees. It was an exciting moment, in which energy and excitement bubbled through the hall, and the participants, all communicators, even climbed on the chairs to get a photo of the Pope as he passed by.
On Saturday afternoon, the “Dialogues with the City” meetings were held : a wide-ranging program of conferences in various locations in Rome, dedicated to different topics. I attended the colloquium entitled “Journalism at the service of democracy”, where more than 10 speakers from the Italian journalistic world presented various reflections on the profession, roles and current opportunities.
Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica
The Jubilee ended in style on Sunday, January 26, with the Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica. It was presided over by the Holy Father, and 40 new Lectors were instituted.
It was a moving Eucharist, in which the numerous attendees were involved with their different languages in the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God, uniting all of us in prayer. The long procession of concelebrating priests and bishops, and the closing of the ceremony with the Jubilee hymn interpreted by the choir, were some of the highlights.
World Conference of Institutional Catholic Communicators
The Jubilee experience did not end for me with the Holy Mass. On Monday, the 27th, the conference for directors of communication of congregations and episcopal conferences, organized by the Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Evangelization, began.
It was a great honor for me to be part of the 200 participants from different parts of the world, and to have the opportunity to put into practice what the Holy Father encouraged us to do in the audience at the Apostolic Palace:
“Sisters, brothers, the challenge is great. Therefore, I encourage you to strengthen the synergy among yourselves, at the continental and universal levels. Build a different model of communication, different in spirit, in creativity, in the poetic force that comes from the Gospel and that is inexhaustible. Communicating is always original. When we communicate, we are creators of languages, of bridges”.
Source: Vatican.va
We enjoyed numerous very interesting conferences, in which we delved into the themes presented at the cultural meeting with Maria Ressa and Colum McCann: the risks of misinformation, the importance of finding the humanity of others through storytelling, how to put the Lord at the center of our communication… We also had numerous examples of good practices, which provided inspiration for our respective works. In addition, we carried out several works in small groups: a great exercise of synodality where we landed together the different ideas shared.
Reflections after the Jubilee
It was very interesting and reassuring to see that the global Church, at the macro level, is facing the same challenges as our congregation: how to integrate the diversity of the members in a common framework, to cancel the particularities that define the different personalities? Who are we as communicators of the Church? How to get our message to reach where it is needed, without being distorted? Finding in the global Church the same questions we ask ourselves at a smaller level has been a reassuring consolation: we are not alone.
The second idea that sticks with me is that communication is a mission. And that implies action: it implies acting, in order to generate change, which will always be linked to hope. Catholic communication must be specific and particular, attending to what is characteristic of the local level, in a close and authentic way. And the role of communicators is to be containers of a truth greater than ourselves, not to provide the content; just as the essence of the profession of journalism is to raise questions, not to promulgate answers.
Finally, and above all, Catholics have good news to share. We have THE Good News. And it is our responsibility and duty to use the networks that exist to transmit it: to go where the people are to tell them, and not let them be filled only with evil. In the end, like any tool, the media and social networks are capable of doing much good or much evil, depending on the intention of the one who uses them.
I concluded my formative stay in Rome with renewed hope: in the Church, in my profession and in this moment in history. I said at the beginning that it is natural for a Catholic to believe in a better world, and being surrounded by so many people with whom I share my faith was confirmation of this. But it was also a good reminder that, like everyone else, we communicators have a responsibility to get involved in creating and defending it.
Finally, this chronicle would not be complete without several special mentions: to the countless Jubilee volunteers, who make events of this magnitude possible through their kindness, availability and sympathy. To the spontaneous friends with whom I shared experiences of these days, united by enthusiasm and the desire to discover. And, above all, to the Sisters of the General House, who welcomed me during my stay, making it comfortable and deeply enjoyable.
Agustina Gómez, Communication Coordinator
