Manila (AsiaNews) – The first Asian Assembly of Catholic Digital Missionaries was held in Manila from 10 to 13 September, centred on the topic “Influencers to Witnesses: Synodal Way for Digital Mission in Asia”.
About a hundred Catholic digital missionaries from across the continent took part in the four-day event to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of evangelisation in the digital realm.
To this end, some “40 Pairs of Eyes” or Catholic influencers will tell the story of World Youth Day (WYD) 2027 in Seoul in a fresh, new way. Catholic influencers will thus try to capture and share the insights, experiences, and moments young people and communities will partake in South Korea in August 2027, and share them with Catholics across Asia.
“We realised that the digital world is already a mission field, especially for the young people of Asia,” noted Father John Mi Shen, head of the Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), speaking to AsiaNews.
“Across our continent, there are many young Catholics who are already sharing their faith through digital media, but many of them are working separately,” said Father Mi Shen. “We wanted to bring them together – not simply to learn about digital technology, but to listen to one another, to build relationships, and to discern together how we can become witnesses of Christ in the digital world.”
The initiative leading up to next year’s meeting fits into this context as well. “We have a wild plan to bring 40 digital influencers to the World Youth Day 2027,” the clergyman explained, adding that, “Those 40 pairs could become 400 pairs, 4,000 pairs and 40,000 pairs of windows that we can open to each other.”
For many participants, the meeting in Manila marked a shift in perspective, from viewing digital ministry primarily as content creation to understanding it as a vocation to bear witness.
For Father Felix Anthony from India, “It was a humbling experience to be present with the around 100 delegates from Asia”.
Speaking to AsiaNews, he added that, “Encountering their testimonies and listening to their life stories and challenges and how they navigate through them to continue to spread the message of the Gospel has left a deep impression and has given me hope. Now I return to be not just a content creator but to be an effective witness to the Gospel, and to bring people closer to the Lord.”
Sarah from Indonesia said the assembly had given her “hope and the much-needed encouragement for the future,” while for Rechidan from India, “My calling is not merely about creating content, but about being a witness for Jesus Christ”.
Reflecting on the sessions and presentations, Kanya from Cambodia said that whatever content creators do should have a single goal, namely “making Jesus and His message known to the people.”
For Pranjal Thomas Rozario from Bangladesh, the very experience of participating in the Assembly became an important learning experience. “Meeting people with similar interests, listening to their stories, struggles, and challenges led me to realise that I was not alone,” he said.
Yuzo Akai from Japan highlighted another key message of the Assembly: “I have learned from the Assembly that listening is more important than speaking and content creation.”
At the end of the four-day gathering, participants from India (the most represented country after the Philippines), Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, and the Philippines pledged to continue working with one another.
They also adopted a four-point resolution: to hold quarterly meetings, updates, and prayer gatherings, coordinated by a dedicated committee and hosted by a designated country. They will also develop online media training courses, programmes, and lessons for digital missionaries.
One of the many speakers was Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. In his address, he urged everyone to be fully aware of what and who truly influences us. “Having experienced the transforming influence of Jesus in your life, you will bear authentic, true, genuine witness to others,” he said.
Finally, during the concluding Mass, while reflecting on the Gospel message of forgiveness, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan and vice president of the FABC, reminded the participants of the human person behind every screen.
“Every piece of content that you create reaches a screen that opens to a human life, to a person with hope, fears, wounds and dignity that no argument can erase. That person is your brother or a sister who needs your forgiveness repeatedly,” he said.
