Asian Catholic Digital Missionaries Commissioned as Witnesses

Manila, September 13, 2026: Nearly 100 Catholic digital missionaries from across Asia were commissioned as witnesses to Christ at the conclusion of the first Asian Catholic Digital Missionary Assembly (ACDMA), held at the Cathedral-Shrine of the Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Novaliches, Manila.

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Vice President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) and Bishop of Kalookan, presided over the solemn Eucharistic celebration on September 13 and urged the participants to approach the digital world not merely as content creators but as missionaries.

“The digital world is no longer simply a collection of technological tools, but a culture in which people encounter one another, search for meaning and seek God,” Cardinal David said.

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He encouraged the missionaries to listen before reacting and judging, particularly to “the voices of the ignored, the poor and wounded, the lonely, and to the young who have given up on the Church.”

He described such listening as essential to living the Church’s synodal journey in the digital environment.

The four-day assembly, held from September 10 to 13 under the theme “Influencers to Witnesses: Synodal Way for Digital Mission in Asia,” brought together Catholic digital missionaries from across the continent to examine opportunities and challenges in evangelisation through digital media.

Reflecting on the Gospel call to forgiveness, Cardinal David reminded participants that every digital interaction involves a human person with a unique story.

“Every content that you create reaches a screen that opens to a human life, to a person with hope, fears, wounds and dignity,” he said, urging the missionaries to see those they encounter online as brothers and sisters who need understanding and forgiveness.

Before leading the participants in their missionary pledge, the Cardinal called them to become listeners who understand, companions who walk with others, creators who build bridges and witnesses who reveal Christ.

The ACDMA was organised for the first time by the FABC Office of Social Communications and Radio Veritas Asia, in partnership with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication.

In his concluding remarks, Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. of San Pablo, Chairman of the FABC Office of Social Communication, said he was encouraged by the enthusiasm and participation throughout the assembly.

He expressed hope that the discussions, presentations and group sessions would help participants become authentic witnesses of Jesus Christ through their digital content, referring to a message from Pope Leo XIV.

For several participants, the assembly represented a shift from understanding digital ministry primarily as content production to seeing it as a vocation to Christian witness.

Sarah from Indonesia said the gathering gave her “hope and the much needed encouragement for the future.”

“My calling is not merely about creating content, but about being a witness for Jesus Christ,” said Rechidan from India.

Kanya from Cambodia said digital content should ultimately serve one purpose: “making Jesus and His Message known to the people.”

For Pranjal from Bangladesh, meeting other digital missionaries and hearing their experiences helped him realise that he was not alone in facing the challenges of digital ministry.

Yuzo from Japan highlighted another key lesson from the assembly: “listening is more important than speaking and content creation.”

Asian digital missionaries commit to collaboration

Representatives from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, India and the Philippines pledged to continue collaborating as Asian Catholic digital missionaries.

The participants also adopted a four-point resolution calling for:

• Quarterly meetings, updates and prayer gatherings coordinated by an assigned committee and hosted by different countries.
• The development of online formation courses, programmes and lectures for digital missionaries.
• The establishment of the Fully Present Network at the local level, adapted to the Asian context.
• The organisation of Digital Missionary Assemblies at diocesan, regional and national levels, with support from the Fully Present Network.

India sent the second-largest delegation after the Philippines. Fr. Cyril Victor Joseph, National Coordinator for the Media Apostolate of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, participated in a panel discussion on the realities and challenges facing digital evangelisation in Asia.

The first ACDMA concluded with a shared commitment to move beyond simply producing more digital content and instead form missionaries capable of listening, accompanying and witnessing to Christ in the lives of people they encounter online.

By Catholic Connect Reporter