Previously, as general coordinator of the event, Fr Maciej Makuła, a member of the Congregation's Social Communication (SC) Sector, had taken the stage. He first thanked the UPS authorities for their hospitality and Fr Gildasio Mendes, General Councillor for Social Communication ("the one who dreamed of this meeting") for his insight into this event. Then he mentioned the rest of the "Dream Team" from the organising team (Fr Dariusz Bartocha, Monika Kalinowska, Fr Carlos Mendez, Fr Mamy Augustin Raheriarisoa, Aleksandra Stankiewicz and Fr Marcin Wosiek); and finally he reiterated the significance of the event: "We are not here to experience a simple event over a few days, listen to speeches, share moments of fraternity... Of course, there will be all this too, and it is important. But we are here to really realise the title of this event: ‘shaping tomorrow’, together. It is not my task: together we want to forge the future of social communication in the Congregation and, gradually, in the Salesian Family and the Church".
The next speaker was the Rector of the UPS, Fr Andrea Bozzolo, who renewed his greetings to all those present, citing among the more than 150 present in the room, also the General Councillor for Formation, Fr Ivo Coelho, and his counterpart in the General Council of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister Nilza Fátima de Moraes; the Economer General of the Congregation, Bro. Jean Paul Muller; and the Regional Councillor for the Mediterranean, Fr Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, along with many other prominent personalities and the various speakers of the day.
Fr Bozzolo stressed the fundamental dimensions of the conference in relation to the formative, educational and cultural reflection nature of the university – that is, the possibility over these days of gaining a deeper understanding of Salesian SC, learning more about youth communication and creating worldwide networks of Salesian communication. He was therefore happy that the UPS, "the place where the Salesian charism becomes thought", was chosen as the venue for the event, not only for logistical reasons, but also in recognition of the suitability of its environments as appropriate spaces for discussionand research, a meeting place between culture, science and faith. And he highlighted the significance for the UPS of boasting of a Faculty of Social Communication Sciences (FSC) within it – which co-promoted the event – also inviting those present to appreciate this and consider it for future updates and insights.
The main author of this World Communication Conference, Fr Gildasio Mendes, then took the stage for a brief introduction to that of the Rector Major. On the occasion, the General Councillor for SC recalled the dreams and prospects of "Shaping Tomorrow", noting that "communication does not exist for its own sake, but to evangelise, educate, do good, give visibility to the Salesian charism". And then he highlighted the value of the presence at the opening of the conference of Card. Fernández Artime, "a Salesian who knows how to speak from the heart and promote the culture of fraternal communication, who has always been able to put people first".
Finally, with his fraternal and affable style, it was precisely the Rector Major – already ready to leave shortly for his final animation visit, to Bova Marina – who offered his message of greeting to those present. "Seeing you, I can't help but remember you in the many places where we have met over these 10 and a half years... Thank you for this opportunity and above all for the many lives that are behind you and with you, in the Provinces, with the young people and with the Salesian Family", he began.
Looking forward to the future of the Congregation, he indicated three "indispensable" areas:
- "We can never renounce evangelisation, to bring young people closer to God, and to accompany young people of other religions to be authentic believers through our testimony of life";
- "We must face the deep confusion in the affective and sexual outlook. In the past, often, for fear of touching on a sensitive issue, we tended not to want to talk about it; but now, thanks to the Youth Ministry Sector and also to the UPS, we want to say an educational and Salesian word on this essential dimension of the human person; because not talking about it is not the solution. In fact, many institutions have called us to share our work".
- Finally, thus also giving "a solemn investiture to Shaping Tomorrow", "we must be very attentive, as educators, to the entire dimension of the digital and communication world, which is much more than just technology, and today also to this‘ great giant ’, which can sometimes even scare us a little, of Artificial Intelligence".
The Rector Major also offered some "nuggets" to reflect on to invite everyone to responsible action as educators: such as, for example, the impressive figure of 8 million people who interact with the Salesians of Don Bosco alone every day around the world; or the reality of young people who need accompaniment, willing to make any sacrifice to post captivating photos and videos during their holidays; or the message of hope that a great philosophical congress sends over these days in Rome, where thousands of people are gathering because they recognise that today more than ever "there is a need for depth of thought".
"Best wishes. What you will do over these days will serve to share rich reflections on our being educators and communicators, to understand how to respond to today's challenges and accompany our young people in a world that is more difficult than that of 40 years ago" he said at the end of his address.
