Church communicators to focus on unity in Rome

The 2025 Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices features (from left) Santa Croce professor Marc Carroggio; Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Msgr. Fernando Ocariz, prelate of Opus Dei, and Gema Bellido, Santa Croce professor. The next conference is Feb. 2-4, 2027, in Rome. (Courtesy)

Hundreds of Catholic communicators from dioceses, bishops’ conferences, religious congregations and media outlets worldwide will gather in Rome Feb. 2-4, 2027, for a seminar on communication and unity in the church.

The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) hosts the Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices every two years, with the sponsorship of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication.

As polarization strains public discourse both inside the church and out, this year’s theme, “Nurturing Unity Through Communication,” arrives at a timely moment. “From the very beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has expressed his desire for ‘a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world,’” said Marc Carroggio, a member of the seminar’s organizing committee. “This seminar seeks to understand how communications can be placed at the service of that mission.”

The seminar is also a chance for professional development and collegiality. “Those who work in church communications may feel a bit isolated in their day-to-day work,” said Gema Bellido, also on the organizing committee. “The seminar offers an opportunity to learn from one another, share experiences and take time to have relaxed conversations with colleagues from around the world.”

James Rogers, chief communications officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, attended the 2025 edition of the seminar. “The opportunity to pray with and learn alongside Catholic communicators from around the world was invaluable to me spiritually and professionally,” Rogers said. “The seminar assembles the best thinking from across the Universal Church so that you return home ready to tackle the most pressing challenges we face in the church today.”

American communicators will find plenty to recognize on the program. Michael P. Warsaw, chairman and CEO of EWTN, will speak on leading through digital disruption. Mónica Guzmán, founder of Reclaim Curiosity and author of “I Never Thought of It That Way,” joins Italian philosopher Bruno Mastroianni for a session on moving past polarized debate. Journalist Paulina Guzik of Our Sunday Visitor will speak on communicating with victims of abuse.

A separate roundtable will take up Chapter 3 of Pope Leo XIV’s “Magnifica Humanitas,” his encyclical on artificial intelligence, examining its intersection with polarization one year after its release. The panel will be moderated by Andreas Thonhauser, EWTN’s vice president and chief global officer, and will be broadcast live on EWTN.

Other highlights include an opening address by German theologian Johannes Hartl and a closing conversation with filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde (“Sound of Freedom” and “Cabrini”) on storytelling and unity.

Rome itself is part of the draw. Santa Croce sits just off the Piazza Navona, within walking distance of the Vatican. “You will hear the same communication challenges analyzed by professionals working in vastly different contexts — from European secularism to the Catholic minority in Asia to persecution in parts of Africa,” Bellido said. Participants will also attend a general audience with Pope Leo and a session at the Dicastery for Communication on his message for the 61st World Day of Social Communications.

Those with something to share can propose a short paper on their own work in church communications; proposals are due Nov. 1, 2026.

Finnerty is the U.S. communications director for Opus Dei and the U.S. coordinator for the seminar.