This marked the launch of the first national Catholic media conference, organized by the Salesian communication departments in Rome and India, in collaboration with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and other national Church bodies in India.
The two-day event is set to take place on November 23-24 at St. John’s Medical College in Bengaluru, India. The conference, titled “ILLUMINAIRE: Nurturing Digital Stewardship in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” is exclusively designed for priests, religious, and those in consecrated life.
Approximately 350 participants are expected to engage in ten sessions and six parallel workshops led by experts in the field. Special features of the conference include interactive media workshops, talks by international speakers, hands-on training, and opportunities for networking and collaboration.
In his remarks during the inauguration of the website, Ruffini, the first layman to head a Vatican office, said he was confident that Illuminaire will greatly benefit all priests and religious of India involved in the field of communication.
A member of the Social Communication Sector in Rome and the conference coordinator Father Pakkam Harris, emphasized the main objective of the event: “Our goal is to explore the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on the lives of consecrated people, while promoting the responsible and ethical use of these tools.”
The South Asia delegate for Salesian Social Communication Father Ernest Rosario stressed the importance of courage and creativity among participants. He urged them to embrace the opportunities that the digital world offers for their mission and to guide those they serve, particularly Generation Alpha, in navigating this evolving landscape.
Each participant will have the opportunity to attend all ten sessions and choose one of the six practical workshops offered each day to master essential skill sets.
In a symbolic gesture, Ruffini registered himself as the first participant on the newly launched website, followed by Natasa, the director of the Theological Pastoral Department of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications.
Salesian provincial in charge of social communications for South Asia Father Savio Silveira said: “There is great anticipation and eagerness for this conference, as it is the first of its kind in India targeting priests, religious, and those in consecrated life. The theme is particularly relevant and highly awaited.”
For more information, please visit the website at www.illuminaire.in or contact info@illuminaire.in.