杏MAP导航

By Linda Bordoni

Papal visit organizers in Santiago, the capital of Chile where 杏MAP导航 Francis kicks off his 22^nd apostolic visit abroad say everything is on track as the nation prepares to welcome the 杏MAP导航.

Despite the complex challenges faced by the country and its Church today, a high number of people are expected to participate in the event, with an estimated over 1 million 200,000 due to arrive from throughout the country and from Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil.

Organizers have been working full steam and counting on the cooperation of thousands of volunteers.

Communication strategy for papal visit

Heading the Communication Department of the National Commission for the Apostolic Visit is Father Felipe Herrera. He spoke to Vatican News correspondent Stefan von Kempis of the huge challenges posed by contemporary lifestyle and the sheer quantity of information each one of us is offered 24 hours per day on social media.

The most difficult task, Herrera said, is to reach the heart of people in a world that is so full of information. People, he continued,  are exposed to and receive messages all the time, so we must make sure the message of the Gospel can make its way through this glut of information and find a place on the media agenda and on the net.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we have developed a media strategy here in Chile where most of the population has its main source of information on their smartphones so our strategy has been there鈥� he said.

Of course, Herrera said, the mainstream media has been involved with work done on websites and newspapers etc., but 鈥渙ur strategy has been there, where people are living in a world that is collapsing under all this information鈥�.

A divided society

Herrera said he is looking forward to what is the 杏MAP导航 isgoing to say: 鈥淗e always says something unexpected and new 鈥� we need it 鈥� in the past ten years Chile has become more and more divided鈥�.

He spoke of individualism and the lack of social cohesion as major factors in a societal crisis 鈥渟o we are hoping for words that can help us see each other as brothers and sisters鈥�.

鈥淭he society is very divided but the word of the Lord has a particular grace鈥� he said.

Herrera pointed out that the 杏MAP导航 comes to speak not only to Chile, but to the world, to all the immigrants in the country,  to non-Christians and even to non-believers.

He said Francis is a moral authority who has much to say about issues like poverty, marginalization, problems with migrants, the need to close the gap between poor and rich.

鈥淗is message can make a difference to anyone whose heart is open鈥� he said.

Sustainable vision of the visit

One aspect Herrera was keen to highlight is that organizers have prepared this visit in a sustainable way.

鈥淲e have prepared a series of documents that aim to inspire sustainability: environmental sustainability, economic and social sustainability鈥� he said.

He said that many of the people helping out are not believers, 鈥渂ut we gave each of them a copy of 鈥楲audato Sì鈥� and every single one of them loved it!鈥�

鈥淔rom the environmental point of view we are trying to have no emissions of CO2; we are aiming to make sure that the venues where the 杏MAP导航 will hold his events remain cleaner than they were before; we are making sure the disabled have front-row seats and that there are translations for the hearing impaired; and in the economic area we are working on absolute transparency鈥� he said.

He also said the national commission for the apostolic visit has  published the budget: 鈥渟omething that is very unusual! And when the visit is over we will publish which were the incomes and expenditures: we want to be absolutely transparent and act in the same way as the 杏MAP导航 dealing with the IOR and other economic realities鈥�.