AI Ethics: A Vatican Priority 

The Vatican’s latest foray into AI ethics began with the publication of its “Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence” at the close of 2024, a document designed to govern the responsible use of AI within the confines of the Vatican City State. These guidelines will soon be supported by detailed legislation and regulatory frameworks to ensure their practical application.

On a global level, the Holy See is set to release a pivotal document on the ethical challenges of AI later this month. Announced by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the text is a collaborative effort with the Dicastery for Culture and Education. It aims to tackle the moral and societal implications of AI’s rapid evolution.

This initiative is part of an ongoing journey that began in 2016, when the Vatican hosted high-level discussions involving scientists, ethicists, and technology leaders to explore the ethical dimensions of emerging technologies. In 2020, the Pontifical Academy for Life partnered with IBM and Microsoft to launch the “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” which championed principles like transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in algorithmic development.

In subsequent years, the Vatican continued to emphasize the importance of ethical AI through publications like a 140-page ethics manual for the tech industry, released in collaboration with the University of Santa Clara’s Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture.

Pope Francis himself has been a vocal advocate for ensuring that AI serves humanity ethically. In his 2023 World Day of Peace message, he urged the global community to prioritize justice and peace in AI governance, warning against the risks of discrimination and inequality.

New Laws for the Vatican City State 

In a landmark move, the Vatican recently enacted its first AI-focused legislation. The new laws prohibit discriminatory uses of AI and establish a special commission to oversee experimentation with emerging technologies. These regulations apply to Vatican state institutions, setting a standard for ethical governance while offering a model for broader international cooperation.

AI is just one of several pressing topics the Vatican is addressing through doctrinal and societal documents. Cardinal Fernández has confirmed additional texts are in development:

– Marriage and Monogamy: A reaffirmation of the Church’s teachings on the sanctity and exclusivity of marriage, especially in the context of modern challenges.

– Modern Slavery: A comprehensive exploration of historical and contemporary slavery, focusing on human trafficking, forced labor, and child exploitation.

– The Role of Women in the Church: A document that seeks to elevate and clarify the contributions of women within ecclesiastical and societal structures.

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Sister Simona Brambilla’s Journey 

Born in Italy, Sister Simona Brambilla will celebrate her 60th birthday on March 27. Her extensive career is a testament to her dedication and leadership. Before her current role, she served as Superior General of the Missionary Sisters of Consolata for over a decade and worked as a missionary in Mozambique. A professional nurse by training, Sister Brambilla joined the Missionary Sisters of Consolata and quickly rose through, demonstrating a unique blend of compassion and administrative acumen.

In October 2023, she was appointed Secretary of the Dicastery, laying the groundwork for her promotion to Prefect just a few months later. This appointment builds on the precedent set by Pope Francis in 2021 when Sister Alessandra Smerilli was named Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

A Broader Vision for Women’s Leadership

Pope Francis’s papacy has been a catalyst for change in the Vatican’s approach to gender inclusivity. Since 2013, the representation of women in the Vatican workforce has increased from 19.2% to 23.4%, reflecting a deliberate shift toward broader participation. This transformation was solidified in 2022 with the apostolic constitution “Praedicate Evangelium”, which opened leadership roles, including those of dicastery prefects, to laypeople—women included.

Notable Women Leaders in Vatican Governance

Sister Brambilla’s appointment joins a growing list of women who have taken on influential roles under Pope Francis:

– Barbara Jatta was named Director of the Vatican Museums in 2016, becoming the first woman to hold this prestigious position.

– Sister Raffaella Petrini, appointed in 2022, serves as Secretary General of the Vatican’s Governatorate, a role traditionally reserved for bishops.

– Other key figures include Gabriella Gambino and Lina Ghisoni in the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, and Cristiane Murray, Deputy Director of the Holy See Press Office.

These appointments reflect a deliberate effort to integrate women’s perspectives into Vatican decision-making processes, enhancing the Church’s ability to address contemporary challenges.

Pope Francis’s Vision for the Church

In her new role, Sister Brambilla will oversee the spiritual and organizational life of thousands of religious communities worldwide. Her leadership will undoubtedly inspire other women in the Church, affirming that their contributions are not just welcome but essential to its mission.

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Dear brothers and sisters!

My deep thanks go to Cardinal Re for his greeting and good wishes. How good to see that he does not age! Thank you, Your Eminence, for your example of readiness to serve and your love for the Church.

Cardinal Re spoke about the war. Yesterday the [Latin] Patriarch [of Jerusalem] was not allowed into Gaza, as had been promised; and yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to tell you this because it touches my heart. Thank you for having referred to this, Your Eminence, thank you!

The title of this address is “Bless and do not curse”.

The Roman Curia is made up of many working communities, more or less complex or numerous. This year, in thinking about a reflection that could benefit community life in the Curia and its various offices, I chose an aspect that fits in well with the mystery of the Incarnation, and you will immediately see why.

I thought about speaking well of others and not speaking ill of them. This is something that concerns all of us, including the Pope – bishops, priests, consecrated persons and the laity. In this regard, we are all equal. Why? Because it is part of our being human.

Speaking well and not speaking ill is an expression of humility, and humility is the hallmark of the Incarnation and particularly the mystery of the Lord’s Birth which we are about to celebrate. An ecclesial community lives in joyful and fraternal harmony to the extent that its members walk in the way of humility, refusing to think and speak ill of one another.

Saint Paul, writing to the community in Rome, says, “Bless and do not curse” (Rom 12:14). We can also understand his words as meaning: “Speak well and do not speak ill” of others, in our case, our co-workers, our superiors and colleagues, everyone. Speak well and do not speak ill.

The path to humility: self-accusation

I would suggest today, as I did some twenty years ago at a diocesan assembly in Buenos Aires, that all of us, as a way of exercising humility, learn the practice of self-accusation, as taught by the ancient spiritual masters, particularly Dorotheus of Gaza. Yes, Gaza, the very place that is presently synonymous with death and destruction, is a quite ancient city, where monasteries and outstanding saints and teachers flourished in the first centuries of Christianity. Dorotheus was one of them. In the footsteps of great Fathers like Basil and Evagrius, he built up the Church by his writings and his letters, which abound in evangelical wisdom. Today too, by reflecting on his teachings, we can learn humility through self-accusation, so as not to speak ill of our neighbour. Sometimes, in everyday speech, when someone makes a critical comment, another will think: “Look who’s talking!”. That is in everyday speech.

In one of his “Instructions”, Dorotheus says, “When some evil befalls a humble man, he immediately looks inward and judges that he has deserved it. Nor does he allow himself to reproach or blame others. He simply puts up with this hardship, without making a fuss, without anguish, and in all tranquility. Humility troubles neither him nor anyone else” (Dorotheus of Gaza, Oeuvres spirituelles, Paris 1963, No. 30). And again: “Do not try to know the faults of your neighbour or harbour suspicions against him. If our own malice gives rise to such suspicions, try to turn them into good thoughts” (ibid., No. 187).

Self-accusation is only a means, yet one that is essential. It is the basis for our being able to say “no”’ to individualism and “yes” to the ecclesial spirit of community. Those who practise the virtue of self-accusation and do so consistently are gradually liberated from suspicion and distrust, and make room for God, who alone can bond hearts. If everyone makes progress along this path, a community can be born and grow, one in which all are guardians of one another and walk together in humility and charity. When we see a defect in someone, we should only talk about it with three others: with God, with the person in question, or, if that is not possible, with the person in the community who can take care of the situation. No one else.

What is the basis of this spiritual “style” of self-accusation? It is inner abasement, in imitation of the synkatábasis or “condescension” of the Word of God. A humble heart abases itself, like the heart of Jesus, whom in these days we contemplate lying in a manger.

Faced with the tragedy of a world so often in the grip of evil, what does God do? Does he rise up in all his righteousness and hurl condemnations from on high? In some sense, that is what the prophets expected, even to the time of John the Baptist. Yet God is God; his thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways (cf. Is 55:8). God’s holiness, as divine, is paradoxical in our eyes. The Most High chooses to abase himself, to become little, like a mustard seed, like a man’s seed in a woman’s womb. Invisible. In this way, he begins to take upon himself the enormous, unbearable burden of the world’s sin.

God’s condescension is mirrored by our practice of self-accusation, which is not primarily a moral act of our own, but a theological reality – as is always the case in the Christian life. It is a gift from God, the work of the Holy Spirit, which it is up to us to accept, to “condescend” and be willing to welcome this gift into our hearts. That is what the Virgin Mary did. She had no cause for self-accusation, yet she freely chose to cooperate fully in God’s condescension, in the abasement of the Son and in the descent of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, humility could well be called a theological virtue.

To help us abase ourselves, we can to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This will help us. Each of us can ask: when was the last time I went to confession?

En passant, I would like to mention something further. A few times I have spoken about gossip. This is an evil that destroys social life, makes people’s hearts sick and leads to nothing. People say it very well: “Gossip is pointless”. Be careful about this.

Blessed ourselves, let us bless others in turn

Dear brothers and sisters, the Incarnation of the Word shows us that God has not condemned us but blessed us. What is more, it reveals to us that in God there is no condemnation, but only and always blessing.

Here we can think of certain passages of the Letters of Saint Catherine of Siena, such as this: “It seems that [God] desires not to remember our offences, or to condemn us to eternal damnation, but to show us constant mercy” (Letters, No. 15). And we need to talk about mercy!

Yet above all we can think of Saint Paul and the magnificent first words of the hymn found at the beginning of the Letter to the Ephesians: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (1:3).

Here we find the origin of our ability to “bless” others: precisely because we ourselves have been blessed, we can bless others in turn. We have been blessed, so we can bless others.

All of us need to plunge into the depths of this mystery; otherwise we risk drying up and becoming like those empty, desiccated canals that no longer contain even a drop of water. Here in the Curia, office work is itself often arid and, in the long run, can make us dry unless we refresh ourselves through pastoral work, moments of encounter, friendships, in a spirit of openness and generosity. With regard to pastoral experiences, I ask young people especially if they have any pastoral experience, this is very important. For this to happen, we need, more than anything else, to make the Spiritual Exercises each year: to immerse ourselves in God’s grace, to be totally immersed in and drenched by the Holy Spirit in those floods of life-giving water whereby each of us has been willed and loved “from the beginning”. If our hearts are embraced by that primordial blessing, then we will be able to bless everyone, even those for whom we do not care or those who have treated us badly. This is the case: we are to bless even those who are unfriendly.

The model to which we should look is, as always, the Virgin Mary, our Mother. Mary is, par excellence, the one who is Blessed. That is how Elizabeth greets her at the Visitation: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:42). That is how we too address her in the “Hail Mary”. Our Lady brought us the “spiritual blessing in Christ” (cf. Eph 1:3) that was certainly present “in the heavens” before all time, but also, “in the fullness of time”, present on earth, in human history, when the Incarnate Word became man (cf. Gal 4:4). Christ is that blessing. He is the fruit that blesses the womb; the Son who blesses the Mother. The Virgin Mary can rightly be addressed, in Dante’s words, as “the daughter of your Son… humble and lofty more than a creature”. Mary, as Blessed, brought to the world the Blessing that is Jesus. There is a painting, which I have in my study, of the synkatábasis. There is Our Lady with her hands like a small ladder, and the Child is descending the ladder. The Child has the Law in one hand and with the other he is holding onto his mother so as not to fall. That is Our Lady’s role: to carry the Child. And this is what she does in our hearts.

Artisans of blessing

Sisters and brothers, as we look to Mary, image and model of the Church, we are led to reflect on the ecclesial dimension of this bless-ing. Here I would summarize it in this way: in the Church, sign and instrument of God’s blessing for humanity, all of us are called to become artisans of blessing. Not just those who give blessings, but artisans who teach, living as artisans to bless others.

We can think of the Church as a great river that branches off into a thousand and one streams, torrents, rivulets – a bit like the Amazon basin – to water the entire earth with God’s blessing, flowing from the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

The Church thus appears to us as the fulfilment of the plan that God revealed to Abraham from the moment he first called him to leave the land of his fathers. The Lord said to him, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you… and in you shall all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:2-3). This plan dominates the entire economy of God’s covenant with his people, a people “chosen” not in an exclusive sense, but in the sense that we, as Catholics, would call “sacramental”. In a word, by bringing the gift of that blessing to everyone through our example, our witness, our generosity and our forbearance.

In the mystery of the Incarnation, then, God has blessed every man and woman who comes into this world, not with a decree that rains down from heaven, but through the flesh of Jesus, the blessed Lamb born of blessed Mary (cf. Saint Anselm, Or. 52).

I like to think of the Roman Curia as a great workshop in which there are any number of different jobs, but where everyone works for the same purpose: to bless others, and to spread the blessing of God and Mother Church in the world.

Here I think in particular of the hidden work carried out by the office staff – the minutanti, some of whom I see here, they are very good, thank you! – who prepare letters assuring someone who is ill or imprisoned, a mother, father or child, an elderly person, and so many others, that the Pope is praying for them and that he sends his blessing. Thank you for this, because I sign these letters. Is that not to serve as an artisan of blessing? Minutanti are real artisans of blessing. They tell me that a saintly priest who worked years ago in the Secretariat of State had attached to the back of the door of his office a piece of paper that read: “My work is humble, humbled and humiliating”. Perhaps this was a negative way of seeing things, but not without a grain of truth and healthy realism. To me, it can be read in a positive way, as conveying the typical style of the “artisans” of the Curia: humility as a means of spreading “blessings”. It is the way of God himself, who in Jesus condescends to share in our human condition, and thus gives us his blessing. And I can testify to this: on my recent Encyclical, on the Sacred Heart, which Cardinal Re mentioned, how many people worked! Very many! The drafts went back and forth… Many of them, with small things.

Dear friends, it is reassuring to think that through our daily work, especially that which is hidden, each of us can help bring God’s blessing into the world. Yet in this, we must be consistent: we cannot write blessings and then go on to ruin them by speaking ill of our brother or sister. So this is my wish: may the Lord, born for us in humility, help us always to be women and men of blessing.

A happy Christmas to all!

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False Mysticism and Spiritual Abuse

The term “false mysticism” appears in the regulations of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) within a very specific context: namely, issues related to spirituality and alleged supernatural phenomena, which now are handled by the Doctrinal Section. This includes “problems and behavior connected with the discipline of the faith, such as cases of pseudo-mysticism, alleged apparitions, visions, and messages attributed to supernatural origin…” (Art. 10, 2).

In this context, “false mysticism” refers to spiritual approaches that harm the harmony of the Catholic understanding of God and our relationship with the Lord. It is in this sense that the phrase appears in the Magisterium. For example, in the encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII rejects as “false mysticism” the conception of God present in Jansenist groups, which did not account for the mystery of the Incarnation in their spirituality:

“It is wrong, therefore, to assert that the contemplation of the physical Heart of Jesus prevents an approach to a close love of God and holds back the soul on the way to the attainment of the highest virtues. This false mystical doctrine the Church emphatically rejects as, speaking through Our predecessor of happy memory, Innocent XI, she rejected the errors of those who foolishly declared: ‘(Souls of this interior way) ought not to make acts of love for the Blessed Virgin, the Saints or the humanity of Christ; for love directed towards those is of the senses, since its objects are also of that kind. No creature, neither the Blessed Virgin nor the Saints, ought to have a place in our heart, because God alone wishes to occupy it and possess it.’” (Encyclical Letter Haurietis Aquas, 15 May 1956, IV: AAS 48 [1956], 344).

There is no delict in Canon Law classified by the name “false mysticism,” even though canonists occasionally use the expression in a manner that is closely tied to crimes of abuse.

However, in the new Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, the DDF specified that “the use of purported supernatural experiences or recognized mystical elements as a means of or a pretext for exerting control over people or carrying out abuses is to be considered of particular moral gravity” (Art. 16). This consideration allows the situation described here to be evaluated as an aggravating circumstance if it occurs together with delicts.

At the same time, it is possible to classify a delict of “spiritual abuse,” avoiding the overly broad and ambiguous expression of “false mysticism.”

It is proposed to entrust to the Dicastery for Legislative Texts and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith the task of analyzing this possibility and presenting concrete proposals, forming a working group between them, chaired by the Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.

Víctor Manuel Card. Fernández
Prefect

Ex Audientia Die 22.11.2024
Franciscus

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Rather than dismissing these traditions as mere folklore or customs, the Vatican’s recognitio elevates them to the status of “liturgical expressions,” fostering a deeper sense of inclusion and respect for the faith traditions of the Tseltal, Tsotsil, Ch’ol, Tojolabal, and Zoque peoples.  

Liturgical Innovations: Faith Through Indigenous Lenses

Key among the approved adaptations are ritual dances integrated into various parts of the Mass, such as the offertory and thanksgiving after communion. Cardinal Arizmendi emphasized that these are not decorative acts but meditative movements reflective of indigenous spirituality. Accompanied by traditional music, these dances serve as contemplative expressions aligned with the essence of the Roman rite but through a distinctly local cultural lens.

Additionally, women from these communities will now take on the ministry of incensing during Mass. Using culturally significant sahumerios instead of traditional censers, they will incense the altar, sacred images, and the congregation. Cardinal Arizmendi clarified that this inclusion is not a statement of gender equality but a faithful reflection of indigenous customs, where women traditionally hold this role in community prayers.  

Expanded Lay Participation

Another notable change is the introduction of a greater role for lay leaders of moral standing. These individuals may now guide certain communal prayers, such as the opening prayer, intentions, and moments of thanksgiving, under the supervision and authorization of the priest. Cardinal Arizmendi stressed that these adaptations aim to deepen communal participation without diminishing the priest’s role as the celebrant.

Cultural Context Meets Catholic Doctrine

Cardinal Arizmendi described the changes as a step toward the “incarnation of faith” within indigenous cultures. He underscored that the core content of the Roman rite remains untouched, with only its cultural expression adapted. This approach seeks to bridge the gap between universal Catholic traditions and local indigenous practices, offering a way for these communities to worship authentically within their cultural frameworks.

“These adaptations are not a dilution of the faith but an enrichment,” he explained, highlighting how the Church can guide indigenous customs toward fulfillment in Christ without dismissing their value.

A Model for Broader Inclusion

The decision could set a precedent for other indigenous groups around the world, encouraging bishops and pastoral leaders to explore similar adaptations. Cardinal Arizmendi called on Church leaders to embrace the liturgical potential of indigenous expressions, urging them not to reduce these practices to mere folklore.

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The agreement, which refers to the Document on Human Fraternity (4 February 2019), the encyclical  Fratelli tutti (3 October 2020), and the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Bahrain (3-6 November 2022),  aims to strengthen the relations between the Vatican and the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the goal of  establishing and fostering a mutually beneficial cultural and scientific collaboration.

On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Dr. Majed bin Ali Alnoaimi, Bahrain’s Minister of  Public Affairs, will sign the cooperation agreement with H.E. Mons. Angelo Vincenzo Zani, Archivist and  Librarian of the Holy Roman Church. The agreement will focus on supporting the design and  implementation of an innovative module to be used during conservation work, the cataloging and  preservation of Arabic cultural heritage held at the Vatican Apostolic Library, and the organization of joint  projects aimed at promoting and disseminating this precious cultural heritage that the Library preserves.

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Under the new guidelines, starting November 30, priests within the Diocese of Tyler will no longer be permitted to use the 1962 Missal for Mass or sacraments, except for a single parish granted special authorization: St. Joseph Parish in Tyler. This parish, affiliated with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, will be allowed to continue offering the Traditional Latin Mass, with permission extending to all canonically assigned priests and deacons of the parish.

The new regulations come one year after Pope Francis dismissed Bishop Joseph Strickland from his leadership role in the Diocese of Tyler, appointing Bishop Vásquez of Austin as Apostolic Administrator. Strickland, who led the diocese from 2012, had voiced support for the Traditional Latin Mass and was critical of some Vatican policies, a stance which placed him at odds with Pope Francis’ vision for liturgical unity and reform.

In his letter, Bishop Vásquez acknowledged the emotional impact of these changes and encouraged the faithful to accept the adjustments with “faith and trust.” He offered words of support to those who might find the transition difficult, affirming that his prayers are with the diocesan community during this period of adjustment.

This directive follows a series of Vatican actions aimed at realigning the celebration of the liturgy with the post-Vatican II reforms, underscoring Pope Francis’ desire to strengthen liturgical unity within the Church. The decision reflects ongoing efforts by Church leadership to balance tradition with contemporary expressions of faith, a dialogue that has intensified since the release of “Traditionis custodes”. For the Diocese of Tyler, these changes signal a new era of worship practices, with the hope that this approach will foster greater unity and reflection among the faithful.

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The Joint Christological Declaration, signed on 11 November 1994 by Saint John Paul  II and Catholicos Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV, put an end to 1.500 years of Christological  controversy dating back to the Council of Ephesus (431).

His Holiness Mar Awa III was accompanied by the members of the Joint Commission for  Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East,  which was established by the same Declaration and which has recently initiated a new  phase of dialogue on the liturgy in the life of the Church.

On this occasion, the Holy Father announced the inclusion in the Roman Martyrology of St Isaac of Nineveh, also known as Isaac the Syrian, one of the most venerated Fathers of  the Syro-Oriental tradition.

Isaac of Nineveh, a monk and bishop in the second half of the 7th century, belonged to  the pre-Ephesian tradition, i.e. the Churches of the Assyrian-Chaldean tradition. Born in  present-day Qatar, where he had his first monastic experience, he was ordained bishop of  Nineveh, near present-day Mosul (Iraq), between 676 and 680, by the Catholicos of  Seleucia-Ctesiphon, George I. After a few months as bishop, he asked to return to  monastic life and retired to the monastery of Rabban Shabur in Beth Huzaye (in present day southwestern Iran). There, he composed several collections of ascetic-spiritual  discourses that made him famous.

Despite belonging to a Church that was no longer in communion with any other, because  it had not accepted the Council of Ephesus of 431, Isaac’s writings were translated into  all languages spoken by Christians: Greek, Arabic, Latin, Georgian, Slavonic, Ethiopian,  Romanian and others. Isaac thus became an important spiritual authority, especially in  monastic circles of all traditions, which quickly venerated him among their saints and  fathers.

The inclusion of Isaac the Syrian in the Roman Martyrology proves that holiness did not  stop with separations and exists across denominational boundaries. As the Second  Vatican Council declared: ‘It is right and salutary to recognize the riches of Christ and  virtuous works in the lives of others who are bearing witness to Christ, sometimes even  to the shedding of their blood.’ (Unitatis Redintegratio 4). St. John Paul II, for his part,  declared that “the communio sanctorum speaks louder than the things which divide us”  (Tertio Millenio Adveniente 37) and that “in a theocentric vision, we Christians already  have a common Martyrology” (Ut Unum Sint 84).

The recent Synod on Synodality also recalled that ‘the example of saints and witnesses to  the faith of other Churches and Christian Communions is a gift we can receive by  including their memory in our liturgical calendar’ (Final Document 122).

It is hoped that the inclusion in the Roman Martyrology of Isaac of Nineveh, a witness to  the precious Christian spiritual heritage of the Middle East, will contribute to the  rediscovery of his teaching and to the unity of all Christ’s disciples.

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“Sport in Motion – What Is Essential Is Invisible to the Eyes” is the theme of the international photography competition, promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education in the framework of the Jubilee and directed by youths younger than 25. The competition includes five “categories”: “Sport and Hope”, “Sport and Family”, ”Sport and Ecology”, “Sport and Disability” and “Sport and Politics”.

Basis to Participate

Until April 30, any young person who wishes to participate can send unpublished photographs — not altered by using Artificial Intelligence and taken after 2020 — to the following e-mail address: sportinmotion@dce.va.

Participation is for free and open to all, including non-professionals. For additional information and the basis of the competition see the Webpage of the Dicastery for Culture and Education: www.dce.va.

The Winners Will Be Able to Meet Pope Francis

The 13 winning photographs (one for the theme Sport and Hope and three for each of the four categories)  will be made known on Saturday, June 14, on the occasion of the Sports Jubilee.

The winners will meet with the Holy Father, visit the Vatican Museums, specifically from the perspective of the artistic experience and will see their photographs disseminated through the Vatican media, pointed out the Dicastery. .

Statements of the Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education

The objective of the competition is to join three words that are not always as close as they should be: sport-youth-art,” explained Cardinal José Tolentino Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The initiative is proposed as “an artistic platform — photography — through which young people can have hope of and in sport ”living it as a place of hope,” manifesting as well “its educational dimension, the unity between culture and education.”

Hence, the competition is a proposal to young people, particularly implicated in the practice, language and images of sport so that they “become producers of art and not only consumers of art” and “can tell the reality through their eyes, seeing what the adults are not always able to see, showing the ”essential that is invisible to the eyes” (The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).”

Specifically inserted in the central theme of “hope,” the competition’s four “categories” (family, ecology, disability and politics) propose a complete and multifaceted vision of the sports experience. Woven with values ​​embodied in human stories of redemption and fraternity, sacrifice and loyalty, team spirit and inclusion, as in an ever new Canticle of Creatures that is a proposal of peace, but also debilitated by “corruption, violence, doping and racism.”

Giovanni Zenoni: Godfather of the Competition

Giovani Zenoni, born in 2002, is a young sports and photography fan, who spends the greater part of his time behind a camera’s objective. Some of his shots were selected as sports photographs of the year in the categories of “Cycling” in 2022, “Aquatics” in 2023 and he received two special mentions in the category of “Winter Sports” in 2024. He was included among the 10 best “Youth Reporters Younger than 30” of the International Sports Press Association and won the “Promising Young Man“ prize of the National Union of Sports Veterans. He collaborates with various renown agencies and brands, and his photographs have already been published in the main national and international newspapers and magazines.

In addition to being the competition’s godfather, Giovanni Zenoni will form part of the jury of the same and will also take some photos on the occasion of the Sports Jubilee.

With information from the Dicastery for Culture and Education and Vatican Media

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Dear brothers and sisters of the Dicastery for Communication, welcome, everyone!

I greet the prefect, Dr. Ruffiini, and the other directors; I greet the cardinals and bishops present here and all of you who make up this great working community.

In today’s liturgy we read this exhortation from Saint Paul: “Stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:14-15). It could be the identikit of the good communicator, don’t you think?

Indeed, yours is a vocation, it is a mission! With your work and your creativity, with the intelligent use of the media that technology makes available, but above all with your heart: one communicates with the heart. You are called to a great and exciting task: that of building bridges, when so many are raising walls, the walls of ideologies; that of fostering communion, when so many are fomenting division; that of letting yourselves get involved in the dramas of our times, when so many prefer indifference. This culture of indifference, this culture of “washing your hands”, “it’s not up to me, they will get by”. This does a great deal of harm!

In these days of your Plenary, you asked yourselves how to foster a “constitutively synodal” communication. The Synod on synodality that we have just concluded now becomes an ordinary journey that must go forward – a journey that has been ongoing from the time that Saint Paul VI created the Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops – that must become the style with which we live communion in the Church, a synodal style. In every expression of our community life, we are called to reverberate that divine love that in Christ attracted, and attracts us. And this is the characteristic of ecclesial belonging: if we were to reason and act in accordance with political or corporate categories, we would not be Church. This would not do! If we were to apply worldly criteria or reduce our structures to bureaucracy, we would not be Church. Being Church means living in the awareness that the Lord is the first to love us, the first to call us, the first to forgive us (cf. Rm 5:8). And we are witnesses of this infinite mercy, which has been freely bestowed upon us, changing our life.

Now you might ask me: what does all this have to do with our work as communicators, as journalists? It has a lot to do with it! Indeed, precisely as communicators, you are called to weave ecclesial communion with your loins girded in truth, righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness to spread the Gospel of peace.

Allow me to tell you my dream. I dream of a communication that succeeds in connecting people and cultures. I dream of a communication capable of telling and raising the profile of stories and testimonies from every corner of the world, circulating them and offering them to everyone. This is why I am happy to know that, despite the economic difficulties and the need to reduce expenses – I will talk about that later – you have made an effort to increase the number of languages with which the Vatican media communicate to over fifty, adding the Lingala, Mongolian and Kannada languages.

I dream of a communication from heart to heart, letting ourselves be touched by what is human, letting ourselves be wounded by the dramas that so many of our brothers and sisters experience. This is why I invite you to go out more, to dare more, to risk more, not to spread your ideas, but to recount reality with honesty and passion.

I dream of a communication that is able to go beyond slogans, and to keep the spotlight on the poor, the last, migrants, and victims of war. A communication that fosters inclusion, dialogue, the quest for peace. How urgent it is to give space to workers for peace! Do not tire of recounting their testimonies, in every part of the world.

I dream of a communication that teaches us to give up a little of ourselves to make space for others; an impassioned, curious and competent communication, that knows how to immerse itself in reality in order to be able to tell it. It does us good to listen to stories with an evangelical flavour, which today, as two thousand years ago, tell us about God as Jesus, his Son, revealed him to the world.

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of getting involved, of changing, of learning new languages or travelling new roads, of inhabiting the digital environment. Always do so without letting yourselves be absorbed by the tools you use, without making encounters online a “surrogate” for true, real human relations, from person to person. The Gospel is the story of encounters, actions, looks, conversations on the street and at the table. I dream of a communication that is able to bear witness today to the beauty of the encounters with the Samaritan, with Nicodemus, with the adulteress, with blind Bartimaeus… as I wrote in the new Encyclical Dilexit nos, Jesus was “attentive… to individuals and above all to their problems and needs” (40). We communicators are called to do likewise, because by encountering love, the love of Jesus, “we become capable of forging bonds of fraternity, of recognizing the dignity of each human being, and of working together to care for our common home” (DN, 217).

Help me, please, to make the Heart of Jesus known to the world, through compassion for this wounded land. Help me, with communication, to ensure that the world “which presses forward despite wars, socio-economic disparities and uses of technology that threaten our humanity, may regain the most important and necessary thing of all: its heart” (DN, 31). Help me with a communication that is a tool for communion.

Although the world is shaken by terrible violence, we Christians know how to look at the many little flames of hope, the many stories, great and small, of goodness. We are sure that evil will not prevail, because it is God who guides history and saves our lives.

I would also like to mention Ms. Gloria Fontana [applause]. Today is her last day of work: I hope they will throw a party! After a good forty-eight years of service – she entered on the day of her First Communion, I think! She has provided a great hidden service, devoting herself to transcribing the Pope’s discourses.

And I would like to say something to you: we must still have a little more discipline regarding money. You must find a way to save more and find other funds, because the Holy See cannot continue to help you as it does now. I know it is bad news, but it is also good news because it inspires creativity in all of you.

The Jubilee, which will begin in a few weeks’ time, is a great occasion to bear witness of our faith and our hope to the world. I thank you in advance for everything you will do, for the Dicastery’s commitment in helping both the pilgrims who will come to Rome and those who will not be able to travel, but who, thanks to the Vatican media, will be able to follow the Jubilee celebrations, feeling united with us. Thank you, thank you very much!

I heartily bless all of you and your work. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!

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