The theme that Pope Francis chose for World Communications Day 2023 will be “Speaking with the heart: Veritatem facientes in caritate”. The Holy Father selected this theme is selected based on the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Eph 4,15) “Living according to the truth in charity”.
According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office released on 29 September, the theme of World Communications Day 2023 is related to last year’s message “Listen with the ear of the heart”.
Along these lines, the Vatican note pointed out that the new theme is “on the path that will lead the entire Church to the celebration of the Synod in October 2023.”
“Speaking from the heart means ‘giving an account of the hope that is in us’ and doing it with affability, using the gift of communication as a bridge and not as a wall. In a time characterized – also in ecclesial life – by polarizations and exasperated debates that exacerbate spirits, we are invited to go against the tide,” the official Vatican statement stressed.
In this way, the Vatican note explains that “we must not be afraid to affirm the truth, sometimes uncomfortable, which has its foundation in the Gospel; but, at the same time, we must not separate this proclamation from a style of mercy, from sincere participation in the joys and sufferings of the people of our time, as the Gospel page that narrates the dialogue between the mysterious Wayfarer and the disciples of Emmaus”.
Finally, the theme of the World Communications Day 2023 warns that “in the dramatic context of the global conflict that we are experiencing, it is more necessary than ever that non-hostile communication be affirmed”.
For this reason, the Vatican encourages “an open communication to dialogue with the other, that favors ‘comprehensive disarmament’, that works to dismantle the ‘war psychosis’ that nests in our hearts, as Saint John XXIII prophetically exhorted, makes 60 years, at Pacem in Terris”. “It is an effort that is asked of all of us, but especially communication operators, called to exercise their profession as a mission to build a more just, more fraternal, more humane future,” concludes the Vatican communication.
The World Day of Social Communications is celebrated every year on January 24, liturgical memory of Saint Francis de Sales and Our Lady of Peace.