“You are at the forefront of reporting on conflicts and aspirations for peace, on situations of injustice and poverty, and on the silent work of so many people striving to create a better world. For this reason, I ask you to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favour of peace.”

When Pope Leo XIV met with journalists, just a few days after his election, EWTN was also present. EWTN journalists take Pope Leo’s appeals seriously and strive to pass it on to the next generation of media professionals.

For this reason, the EWTN Summer Academy took place in Rome for the fourth year in a row. 40 journalists studied, collaborated on scripts, and worked in teams to produce, shoot, and edit videos, all while taking a deeper dive into their faith. They came from more than 20 countries.

The participants stayed for a week and a half on the Janiculum Hill in Rome, not far away from St. Peter’s Square.

Anthony Johnson of the EWTN Vatican Bureau explains, “This academy that we have here is really a place of encounter and community and growth, because we have people who are journalists who write, we have cinematographers who shoot, we have people who edit and make amazing videos. This is a chance for all of them to come together from all different parts of the world, all different languages, to get to know each other, develop community, and really make the EWTN family that much larger.”

However, Johnson, who has been working for EWTN for many years, emphasizes, that the Summer Academy is not just about improving technical skills.

“We have three basic principles here at the EWTN Summer Academy: Theory, practice, and then a mix of theology and philosophy as it pertains to communications, because we can be effective online and creating great work but we need to have an excellent foundation that’s rooted in Christ. We also have daily mass, we have time for spiritual direction, confession, we have a holy hour, we go to places like Castel Gandolfo to see where the Pope also spends his summer, to contextualize things a bit and make it about the Vatican.”

Amanda Kaplan, a participant from Sweden, shares, “I was very amazed that we’re all here for the same reason, to work for God and do what we can in this world to spread the truth. So that just for me, it’s very humbling to know that we’re all here, connected together, fighting for what is right.”

Charbel Lteif, Participant from Lebanon running a page called Eastern Christians, adds, “In our mission on social media, a lot of people ask us, are you guys trying to start a new movement? And my brother has a very great answer. He always says that we are already a part of a movement that started 2000 years ago, it was Jesus Christ and then his disciples.”

The goal of the Summer Academy is that after these ten days of training, networking, and prayer, participants will be well equipped to be digital missionaries in the 21st century.

“I think it’s a combination of content strategy and also being charitable,” U.S. participant Randall Williams notes. “So you could have the best content out there, but if you don’t market it properly, no one’s going to watch it. At the same time, you don’t want to be overly controversial or bold. It’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing views or clicks.”

Johnson emphasizes, “A good digital missionary is one who is centered in Christ, is all about service, and tries to work with competency and professionalism. We do everything for the church and ultimately for the evangelization to bring people closer to God. So when you step outside of yourself and you say, it’s not about me, it’s about God, you can do almost anything. And even by lowering those expectations through this value of service, then you can even do better work than you could possibly imagine.”

On Sunday, the Pope had a special surprise for the young journalists when he sent them a greeting from St. Peter’s Square.

“I greet the faithful from Kearny (New Jersey), the Catholic Music Award group and the EWTN Summer Academy.” 

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Adapted by Jacob Stein. Produced by Rudolf Gehrig; Video edited by Giada D’Ottavi