Kati Dijane reporting from Kigali, Rwanda –
More than 300 participants and guests gathered at St Michael Cathedral in Kigali on Tuesday, 4 August, for the opening Mass of the SIGNIS World Congress 2026, celebrated on the feast of St John Vianney. The liturgy marked the official beginning of the global gathering of Catholic communicators, who have come together to reflect on the Church’s mission in an increasingly digital world.
Presiding over the Eucharistic celebration, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, Archbishop of Kigali, challenged Catholic media professionals, communicators and digital evangelisers to ensure that modern technology becomes a channel for God’s love, peace and reconciliation rather than merely a platform for information.
Drawing from the day’s Gospel and the example of St John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, Cardinal Kambanda reminded delegates that technological advancement alone cannot fulfil the Church’s mission.
“In this period of great advancements in technology, it is a great opportunity for the mission of the Church and evangelisation in the world today,” he said. “We have a message of salvation to make known to the world.”
Humanity’s deepest longing
The cardinal reflected on humanity’s search for fulfilment, noting that people often seek happiness in material possessions, power and status, only to discover that these cannot satisfy the deepest desires of the human heart.
“A human person is created to love and to be loved,” he said. “People are hungry and thirsty for love and happiness, but they seek it where it is not. They seek it in material wealth, earthly glory, power, self-reliance and luxury.”
Quoting St Augustine, Cardinal Kambanda said the human heart will never find lasting peace until it rests in God.
“The heart of a human person will never settle until it finds the love of God,” he said, describing this as the urgent message Catholic communicators are called to proclaim.
A privileged moment for evangelisation
Reflecting on the history of missionary work, Cardinal Kambanda noted that the early missionaries travelled across continents with very limited means of communication but extraordinary faith and commitment.
“Our fathers, the missionaries, reached the whole world with very limited means of communication, but with great love and faith,” he said.
Today’s communicators, he observed, possess unprecedented opportunities.
“For us today, our voice can reach the whole world in seconds. It is an admirable gift we have. It is a tremendous opportunity for evangelisation.”
Yet, he cautioned that technology alone cannot transform hearts.
“The rapid means of communication is not enough to evangelise the world,” he said. “It requires us first of all to become God’s people.”
Seeing the world through the eyes of Christ
The cardinal urged communicators to encounter God’s love personally before attempting to share it with others.
“We need to accept the love of God and experience it ourselves so that we can look at people as Christ sees them, love our brothers and sisters as Christ loves them, and see life with the eyes of faith.”
Contrasting Jesus with the Pharisees in the Gospel, Cardinal Kambanda said the religious leaders judged people according to external rules and legalism, while Christ looked into the heart.
“Jesus shows us the true purity of heart, which is based on the love of God,” he explained. “It is the love of God that purifies our love and enables us to seek the good of others rather than our own interests.”
He reminded delegates that authentic Christian communication requires sacrifice and self-giving.
“True love seeks the glory of God and the good of our neighbour,” he said. “It means dedicating our time, resources, energy and even our lives, as Christ himself did.”
Inspired by St John Vianney
Celebrated on the feast of St John Vianney, the patron saint of pastors, the Mass also reflected on the saint’s extraordinary example of pastoral charity.
Cardinal Kambanda recalled that St John Vianney devoted countless hours to prayer, hearing confessions and reconciling sinners with God.
“He spent more than twenty hours of his life in prayer and giving the sacraments to the people, communicating the love of God,” the cardinal said.
He encouraged Catholic communicators to become similarly enlightened leaders who guide others towards salvation, especially during times of trial and uncertainty.
Communication that builds peace
Referring to the prophet Jeremiah, Cardinal Kambanda said God’s call to conversion remains relevant today.
“Christ is our light,” he said. “The more we move away from Him, the more we remain in darkness.”
He warned that darkness breeds fear, suspicion and division.
“When people live in darkness, they fear one another and seek only to protect themselves,” he said. “Only in the light of Christ do we recognise one another as brothers and sisters and walk together in peace.”
This message, he said, is particularly significant for Africa and a world increasingly marked by conflict and instability.
A mission for Catholic communicators
Addressing the delegates directly, Cardinal Kambanda emphasised that Catholic social communicators have a unique responsibility to ensure that the digital world reflects Gospel values.
“Social communication with millions of followers needs to be enlightened by Christ,” he stated. “Communicators must become good leaders and guides towards salvation, peace, reconciliation, fraternity and love.”
He shared that shortly before the congress, a group of Catholic social media influencers in Rwanda met with him seeking guidance.
“They told me, ‘We have millions of followers, but we struggle with the message to give. Can you help prepare us? We see that the Christian values and the Gospel are greatly needed by our followers.’”
Cardinal Kambanda’s sentiment was that their request illustrated both the immense responsibility and the remarkable opportunity facing Catholic communicators today.
With the SIGNIS World Congress officially opened, he entrusted its work to God, praying that every form of Catholic communication would become an instrument of hope and unity.
“Let us pray that social communication today may be enlightened by the light of Christ in order to contribute to peace-building, fraternity and love in our world. Particularly in our continent of Africa, where peace is greatly needed, may Christ’s light guide all who communicate the Gospel,” he concluded.
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