Catholic young people and new media: a seminar to boost the evangelization

The young Catholic  people respond to Pope Francis’ call to boost evangelization in the Diocese of Weetbula-Sumba Island of Indonesia.

Catholic Bishops' Conference Social Communications Commission (KWI Kosmos); led by Msgr. Petrus Turang, the Archbishop of Kupang, organized a seminar on new media and evangelization in response to the call given by Pope Francis for the World Day of Social communications  to boost evangelization.

Participants who came from the remotest areas of Indonesia were unlike the majority of citizens, especially young people, were not familiar with computers and the internet.

In response, the local Catholic leadership facilitated a three-day meeting and discussion, which drew 62 young Catholics from various parishes of the diocese. Some of them - seminarians, students, activists, teachers and nurses - who had to travel for 5/6 hours from their places of origin, to reach the diocesan pastoral Kotiku Loku center, in the north-western part of Sumba district.

The main purpose of the workshop was to strengthen missionary communications, to promote social networks and new media.The organizers said that the Indonesian Church promotes seminars and intiatives    for "the production of Catholic news, aimed at evangelization."