Press Release from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross

PRESS RELEASE

THE CHURCH UP CLOSE:

Covering Catholicism in the Age of Francis

WEBINAR FOR JOURNALISTS REPORTING ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

(23 and 28 September 2021)

Organised by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross

ROME, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 - In September 2021, the Faculty of Institutional Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome will offer the seventh edition of its webinar for journalists covering religious information, particularly focused on covering the Catholic Church. The seminar, entitled “The Church Up Close: Covering Catholicism in the Age of Francis”, will take place in two free online sessions, held on 23 and 28 September 2021.

This webinar replaces the 2020 edition, which could not be held due to the pandemic. The Church Up Close is conducted in English and designed for journalists, although this online edition is open to all. The next in-person webinar will be held as usual the week of 12-17 September 2022.

Webinar programme

Session 1

23 September, 15:00-16:30 (GMT + 1): Interview with Cardinal George Pell, Prefect Emeritus of the Holy See's Secretariat for the Economy, conducted by Rev. Prof. John Wauck of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and Ashley Noronha of Relevant Radio.

Registration is required. Registrants will have the opportunity to submit questions via email prior to the webinar.

Session 2

28 September, 15:00-16:30 (GMT + 1): Roundtable discussion with veteran journalists based in Rome, including John Allen, editor of Crux, Nicole Winfield of the Associated Press, and Seàn-Patrick Lovett, media consultant and formerly at Vatican Radio.

Those in Rome can attend in person at the University's Aula Magna (following COVID-19 security rules); for those attending online, registration is required.

According to the chairman of the organising committee, the Reverend Professor John Wauck, “The Church Up Close seminar was inspired by a series of lectures that our Faculty already offered annually for ‘vaticanists’ living in Rome. The Church Up Close is a condensed version of a course tailor-made for journalists around the world".

Previous seminars have featured journalists from media outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Telegraph, Corriere della Sera, El País, the BBC and Le Monde, to name a few.

Br. Wauck notes: “Covering an institution as old and large as the Catholic Church has always been a huge challenge, and in today's shrinking world it is becoming increasingly necessary to also tell local stories about the Church from a global perspective. The seminar would like to help journalists to do this”.

The seminar is made possible by the contribution of the US-based Our Sunday Visitor Institute and the collaboration of Iscom, the IARJ (International Association of Religion Journalists) and AIGAV (International Association of Vatican Accredited Journalists).

The full programme and detailed information on The Church Up Close seminar is available on its website: http://www.church-communication.net/ . Please note that although the seminar is free of charge, registration is required.

For further information please contact:

churchupclose@pusc.it (+39) 06681641