The Holy Father,Pope Francis, has designated Sunday 21 May as World Communications Day. 

‍

Bishop John Arnold, the Lead Bishop for Communications, has written a letter to mark the day. In the letter he writes:

‍

"As the Lead Bishop for Communications, I have been reflecting recently on the big news stories of the past 12 months - both inside the Church, and beyond. It has very much been a tale of monarchs and popes. Firstly, we mourned the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who served our countries steadfastly and faithfully for just over 70 years and welcomed the announcement of a new King - His Majesty King Charles III.

"We have also prayed fervently for the successors of St Peter. Recently, of course, we prayed for Pope Francis as he recovered from a respiratory infection in hospital but, as 2022 drew to a close, it became apparent that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was in poor health and close to returning to the Lord. We prayed, as a Catholic community, for the repose of his soul and we were able to celebrate his life and considerable contribution to the Church. In a special way, we gave thanks for his memorable Papal Visit to the UK in 2010.

"The motto for that historic visit came from St John Henry Newman - Heart speaks unto Heart. How fitting that speaking from the heart is the central theme of Pope Francis' message for this year's 57th World Communications Day. In recent years, the Holy Father has reflected on the building blocks of good communication. The heart, he says, is the common factor motivating us "to go and see" and "to listen". It enables us, having listened, to "speak the truth in love". You can read or download the full message here: cbcew.org.uk/wcd23-papal-message/"

‍

The Bishops' Conference have prepared materials for World Communications Day which can be found here: World Communications Day - Catholic Bishops' Conference (cbcew.org.uk)

‍

World Communications Sunday is one of the mandated Second Collections in parishes for the work of the Bishops’ Conference Secretariat.

‍

The Archdiocese of Liverpool has it's own dedicated communications team. To get in touch with them, please email communications@rcaol.org,uk