A spirit of hope filled the historic halls of Saint Patrick’s College on Friday, 6 June, as the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference hosted its seminar on ‘Communicating Christian Hope.’ Organised by the Catholic Communications Office (CCO), the event marked both the 2025 World Day for Social Communications and the 50th anniversary of the CCO’s founding.
Archbishop Eamon Martin (pictured above with speakers Paola Arriaza and Colm Flynn of EWTN), Primate of All Ireland and chair of the Bishops’ Council for Communications, opened the seminar by reflecting on the late Pope Francis’ final message for World Communications Day, issued before his passing on Easter Monday. “The hope we Christians are communicating has a face – it is the face of the risen Lord,” Archbishop Martin told attendees. “We are called to accompany others – as Jesus did on the road to Emmaus – so their hearts may burn within them.”
The event brought together international and local communicators, including Rome-based EWTN journalists Colm Flynn – originally from Co Clare – and Paola Ariaza, who shared poignant accounts of covering the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV. The couple offered a candid view of navigating global media during moments of spiritual and historical gravity.
A highlight of the seminar was the Archbishop’s unveiling of TheWay.ie, a new unified multimedia platform intended to serve as “a digital space of encounter for everyone.” Archbishop Martin described the platform as “a hub where hope is generated and communicated… where people can discover the faith, live the faith, and pass on the faith.”
In his address, Archbishop Martin recalled the words of Inter Mirifica, the Second Vatican Council’s decree on media: “The Church welcomes and promotes with special interest those discoveries which have uncovered new avenues of communicating… news, views and teachings of every sort.”
He also echoed the late Pope Francis’ call for “disarmed and disarming communication,” urging the audience to reflect on how communication either “adds to the despair in the world around us or lights a candle to help dispel the darkness.”
Speakers throughout the day shared reflections on Christian hope from diverse contexts, including youth outreach, priestly ministry, on motherhood, addiction recovery, and humanitarian work. Kenny Jacobs, CEO of the Dublin Airport Authority, delivered a video message exploring the intersection of Christian hope and business leadership in public life.
The seminar was both a commemoration of past milestones and a forward-looking exploration of how the Catholic Church can communicate with relevance and compassion in a divided digital world. Archbishop Martin concluded with an invitation: “Let us share a different outlook on the world through communication that is disarmed and disarming… and opens the door to encounter with Christ.”
To read Archbishop Eamon’s opening address and other resources from the seminar, please click HERE
