Manila, Dec. 10, 2019: The incoming head of the Vatican’s evangelization body has called on Asian bishops’ conferences to strengthen the role of women and the youth in the church, particularly in the media ministry.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the new Prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples, said that it was a duty to bring more women and young people to the table.
“Some of the best communicators are women and young people,” Tagle said.
“My invitation to the Episcopal Conferences in Asia to get our young people and women involved, especially in social communications,” he said.
The cardinal was speaking at the three-day seminar for Asian church media workers at Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) in Quezon City on Tuesday.
At one point in his speech, he noted the lack of women and young participants in the seminar organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences — Office of Social Communication.
There was only a lone nun in the gathering. “And a lot of us here are not only males but celibate,” Tagle said.
“But having women or young people who know the digital world better than I do, they could give us, if trained in catechesis and the Gospel, wonderful advice also,” he added.
“I hope younger faces and women in the next meeting,” Tagle also said.
The seminar was opened with a Mass presided over by Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne in Germany.
In his homily, Woeki said that RVA “must continue to be set for the future”.
The two cardinals also led the blessing and inauguration of FABC Veritas Asia Institute of Social Communications.
On the site will rise an “academy” under the direct supervision of the Asian bishops.
“Its task will be to adapt workers to pastoral service in the digital age and to enable them to work in a new vineyard, which is made up of social networks,” Woelki said.
Cardinal Tagle calls for more church roles for women, young people