A Vatican-backed initiative will bring Catholic digital communicators from across Asia to the Philippines in September as Church leaders seek to strengthen regional collaboration and expand evangelization in the digital age.
The inaugural Asian Catholic Digital Missionary Assembly will take place from September 10 to 13 at the headquarters of Radio Veritas Asia in Quezon City, bringing together digital creators, content producers, social media evangelizers, and Church communicators from across the continent.
The gathering is organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences’ Office of Social Communications (FABC-OSC) and Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) in partnership with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication through the Fully Present Network. Organizers describe it as the launch of a continent-wide network of Catholic digital missionaries committed to evangelization, collaboration, and mutual support.
Held under the theme, “Influencers to Witnesses: A Synodal Way for Digital Mission in Asia,” the assembly draws inspiration from Acts 4:20, urging believers to proclaim what they have seen and heard. The program aims to encourage participants to move beyond content creation toward a deeper understanding of digital mission rooted in lived faith.
“This assembly is more than a conference. It is the beginning of a continental network of Catholic digital missionaries committed to evangelization, collaboration, and mutual support,” said Fr. John Mi Shen, executive secretary of the FABC-OSC and RVA program director.
“Our goal is not simply to produce more digital content, but to form authentic witnesses of Christ who can communicate the Gospel with creativity, credibility, and compassion,” he said.
Organizers said the biblical passage captures the essence of the Church’s digital mission, emphasizing that communicators are “not merely creating content” but are “called to be authentic witnesses.”
“Our work in communication invites us to speak of what we have deeply seen, heard, and experienced in our faith,” they said. “We share these stories in the digital peripheries so that, through our screens and across networks, people may truly encounter Jesus living in us.”
Beyond strengthening the Church’s online presence, the assembly seeks to foster collaboration, inspire faith-centered digital content, and build lasting ties among Catholic communicators throughout Asia.
Delegates will also share the “realities, joys, and challenges they have seen and heard” in their local churches while highlighting the diversity of the region’s Catholic communities.
“Together, we will amplify the diverse digital voice of the Asian Church and transform digital influence into a powerful, synodal witness for Christ in Asia,” the organizers said.
The meeting will also serve as an early platform for preparations for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul through “Asian Voices for WYD,” a collaborative digital initiative designed to connect young Catholics across the region. Organizers said the project will encourage greater cooperation among Catholic communicators while showcasing the experiences, cultures, and faith stories of young Asians ahead of the international gathering.
The speaker lineup includes Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., chairman of the FABC-OSC; and Dr. Natasa Govekar of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, where the Filipino prelate also serves as a member.
Irish Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, Fr. Columba Jordan, host of the widely followed “Little by Little” podcast, will also address the assembly, alongside Peter Monthienvichienchai of Thailand, secretary-general of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, who will share his expertise in digital transformation, Church media, and regional Catholic journalism.
Other speakers include South Korean communications scholar, Dr. Anna Jihyun You, who will discuss ethical communication and human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence; Edwin Lopez of the Philippines, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Asia-Pacific manager of EWTN; and Fr. Cyril Victor Joseph of India, a communications specialist leading national digital media initiatives for the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.
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