Communication as encounter, between authenticity and pragmatism

What is the impact of digital communication on thinking and
living the faith? Can the virtual encounter be communication and an
opportunity for an authentic encounter? And how can Christian witness be
expressed in the digital universe? These are some of the questions
which the bishops with responsibility for social communications in
Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences, accompanied by their experts, will tackle
in Athens in the light of Pope Francis’ Message for the 2014 World
Communications Day.

The meeting, promoted by CCEE’s Commission for Social Communications, chaired by His Lordship Mgr José Ignacio Munilla Aguirre,
Bishop of San Sebastian (Spain), will also be attended by the President
of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, His Grace Mgr Claudio Celli.

In Athens, the 30 participants will be helped in their reflections by experts in the field of social communications, such as Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ, director of the journal “La Civiltà Cattolica”; Prof. Arturo Merayo Perez, lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Sciences at the University of Murcia (Spain); and Fr Roderick Vonhögen, founder of Star Quest Production Network and Trideo TV (Holland).

The meeting will also include a presentation about the work in the field
of social communications undertaken by the Media Office of the Greek
Bishops’ Conference, given by its director, Sebastianos Roussos.

On Wednesday 5 November, the participants will visit Corinth. During the
trip, the Apostolic Exarch for Byzantine Rite Catholics in Greece, His
Grace Mgr Dimitrios Salachas, will offer a reflection on The communication of Saint Paul from the Areopagus to Corinth.

In the course of the meeting there will also be interventions from the new Archbishop of Athens, His Grace Mgr Sebastianos Rossolatos, and the Apostolic Nuncio to Greece, His Grace Mgr Edward Joseph Adams.

The meeting is not open to the public. The complete programme is available at the CCEE website (www.ccee.eu) along with a thematic introduction to the meeting.