The socio-environmental crisis described in the encyclical Laudato Si’ is a challenge for humanity to restructure its ways of relating to God, to the brothers and to creation, through an ecological spirituality, which begins with the insight into the whole creation as free gift from the Creator and its interconnectedness. For this reason, the JPIC Office has seen the importance of utilizing the social media and communicating the values of justice, peace and integrity for creation through it.
The JPIC Office considers the internet and Social Networks (SNS) as privileged space of encounter to live out universal fraternity and to share various experiences, life stories and initiatives. This is the reason why the JPIC-Media project was born with the mission of consolidating an international and intercultural network for formation, mediation and promotion of JPIC values from the heart of the Office and the directives of the Plenary Council of the Order (2018, Nairobi).
Currently, JPIC-Media has started its training and working strategy with four teams of collaborators according to languages, i.e., Spanish, Portuguese, English and Italian. The fifth team for the Arabic language will be launched soon. JPIC-Media mainly has two objectives, namely: to create digital contents and to create digital action networks. Here are some main activities for 2020:
- Create campaigns for 2020 for international days such as World Days of water, land, environment, migrants and refugees, the Spirit of Assisi, the poor, etc. among others.
- Promote and spread the content of the Laudato Si’ Revolution Campaign.
- Promote the online course “Laudato Si’, Integral Ecology for Life.”
- Support the JPIC Intercontinental Meeting of the Americas.
- Course “Evangelization in Social Networks” for Spanish speaking collabrators. It goes for four months, and 18 people from JPIC Media will take part in the course conducted by i-misión (a Catholic organization in Spain that promotes evangelization on the internet).
In conclusion, JPIC-Media believes that the Holy Spirit is still active in the Order of Friars Minor, the Church and all humanity as a new Pentecost and thus helps us be transformed into new human beings respond effectively to new challenges of the new era.
JPIC-Media Coordination Team
