“A person unbound by Christian charity would say that you really have to believe in inflicting cruelty on innocent people to choose to support the policies [on immigration] we’ve seen in recent months while possessing the power to change the law.” – Joseph William Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark
On Wednesday, May 17, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Diocese of Brooklyn will hold its 26th Annual World Communications Day Catholic Media Conference. The conference will be held at BRIC House, 647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11217.
The annual event attracts newsmakers, journalists, filmmakers, media executives, and religious leaders, and will explore this year’s theme selected by Pope Francis, “Communicating Hope and Trust in Our Time.”
Communicating hope and trust to the Hispanic faithful, some of whom fear deportation amid new federal immigration policies, has become a focus for Church leaders like Joseph William Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark. Cardinal Tobin, the event’s keynote speaker, will address the Church’s support for immigrants. Cardinal Tobin, a champion of immigrant rights, made news recently, when he accompanied a 59-year-old grandfather facing deportation to federal court.
“A person unbound by Christian charity would say that you really have to believe in inflicting cruelty on innocent people to choose to support the policies [on immigration] we’ve seen in recent months while possessing the power to change the law,” Cardinal Tobin said.
Pope Francis’ message extends far beyond the immigrant community. The Holy Father also asks the media “to inspire a positive and responsible approach to storytelling – never glamourizing evil or turning suffering into entertainment.” A panel of renowned journalists including Ray Suarez, Howard Kurtz, Laura Ashburn, and Antonio Mora, will explore this idea and discuss the challenges they face in today’s age of instant information where “news” gets tweeted, posted, and shared with increasing disregard for accuracy and social responsibility.
Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to watch a special screening of the award-winning documentary “Sacred,” which gives viewers an intimate look at the role faith plays in the lives of people around the world. The New York Times recently called the film, “a global group portrait of faith in action.”
Cardinal Tobin’s keynote speech and the media panel discussion will be streaming live between 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. For more information on the conference program and timeline, please visit wcdnyc.org. Journalists interested in covering the event should contact Carolyn Erstad at 718-517-3154.
World Communications Day is produced by DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn, publishing Catholic news, information, entertainment and religious programming across all media platforms. Their properties include the weekly diocesan newspaper The Tablet, the monthly Hispanic newspaper Nuestra Voz, the cable network New Evangelization Television (NET TV) and the Catholic Telemedia Network (CTN).