Life becomes history: communication, evangelization

ROME – On the occasion of the 54^th World Day of Social Communications – which was held on Sunday, May 24 – the Communication Office of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, together with Arguments and Creatholic, organized on Saturday May 23 a webinar under the title “Life becomes history.” With the same motto as the conference, the virtual meeting addressed the issue proposed by Pope Francis for the 54th edition of the conference: the importance of stories in communication.

Professionals with different points of view related to communication and journalism met to discuss this topic. The meeting was attended by Antonio Carrón, general councilor in-charge of communications of the Order of Augustinian Recollects; Eva Fernández, correspondent for Cadena COPE at the Vatican; Cris Hevia, from the Arguments team; and Harold La Cruz, from Creatholic. Carlos Santana, communication director of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, moderated the event.

Communicative and personal stories marked the session. Antonio Carrón mentioned the importance of human stories in the Church and in its way of communicating. In this sense, he commented that not only life becomes history, but also history becomes life. Cris Hevia explained some of the particular stories that Arguments has spread in the time of the coronavirus and that, at all times, it has sought to respond to the needs of the people. 

Harold La Cruz commented how from Creatholic, through stories, he looks for the common elements of the stories and tries to give life to the story. Finally, Eva Fernández gave a piece of advice: “Let what we relate do not leave anyone indifferent.” In this sense, he described the relevance of Pope Francis’ prayer and blessing Urbi et Orbi for the end of the pandemic. They all answered affirmatively that stories, truthful and well told, matter to society.

12 ideas from the webinar “Life becomes history”

Arguments has collected twelve ideas from the virtual meeting that you can relive again on our YouTube channel.

1. “The Church cannot live without communicating.” (Antonio Carrón)

2. “Life becomes history and history becomes life.” (Antonio Carrón)

3. “How can we communicate with the media today that we have the joy of the Gospel?” (asks Antonio Carrón)

4. “In this crisis of the coronavirus we detected two curves: that of the deceased and infected, and that of solidarity. And the latter is what we are trying to promote.” (Cris Hevia)

5. “Challenge: that the solidarity curve does not fall.” (Cris Hevia)

6. “Search for common elements in experiences ends up being the interesting thing to be able to ‘tell stories’ making them come alive.” (Harold la Cruz)

7. “The world needs us to tell stories that transmit hope, bring light and show so many saints next door.” (Eva Fernández)

8. Eva Fernandez’s exciting memory of the Vigil of Pope Francis in that empty St. Peter’s Square.

9. “Let the pandemic that we spread throughout the world be that of tenderness.” (Eva Fernández)

10. The testimonies are so important because they challenge us, they drag us; it is the faith made life, incarnated in a person of today and now, and that illuminates around.

11. Communicate the Truth so as not to communicate ourselves.

12. “A good story is capable of crossing the limits of space and time.” (Pope Francis)