Introduction
Digital culture is a lived and ever-changing environment that, depending on the way it takes shape, in turn shapes how people create and live relationships, express beliefs, and seek truth. It is up to us to help shape it. In response to the call of the Synod on Synodality and the mandate entrusted to us by the General Secretariat of the Synod, Study Group 3 has explored the question of the Church’s mission in the digital environment through a prayerful, synodal process of listening, discernment, and dialogue.
Following the encouragement of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV to continue the work of the Study Groups “with renewed enthusiasm” despite suspended time during the sede vacante, we have reassessed the timeline of our work. While we were prepared to submit our final report by the original 30 June 2025 deadline, we welcome the new deadline as an opportunity to integrate additional contributions and deepen our reflection.
1. Synodal Process and Methodology
Study Group 3 has undertaken its work through a synodal methodology that emphasizes listening to diverse voices from around the world. Our membership includes Vatican representatives, theologians, communications professionals, and academics[1].
Our work has progressed through distinct phases:
● Review of Synodal Foundations
We began by analyzing synodal documents from national, continental, and universal phases of the 2021-2024 Synodal Process on Synodality. These revealed the depth and complexity of digital culture and affirmed its importance as a space for encounter and evangelization.
● Global Listening and Consultation
In line with the synodal method, Study Group 3 undertook a broad consultation to reflect the diversity of the People of God:
- Episcopal Conference Communicators: 84 Episcopal Conference communication offices, coordinated by the Dicastery for Communication, responded to the five guiding questions with insights from every global region.
- “The Church Listens to You” Initiative: 1,618 digital missionaries from 67 countries shared experiences of digital accompaniment, particularly with young people and those on the margins.
- Individual and Group Submissions: Over two dozen theologians, pastoral leaders, digital creators, students, and communications professionals from six continents offered perspectives rooted in lived pastoral and digital realities.
- Towards “Full Presence Initiative”: Reflections from those engaged with the Dicastery’s pastoral document provided key insights on communion, formation, and evangelization.
- Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: Their report emphasized ethical and safeguarding concerns in digital spaces—an essential theme throughout our work.
The five questions guiding Study Group 3’s work are:
- What can a missionary synodal Church learn from greater immersion in the digital environment?
- How can digital mission be integrated more routinely into the life of the Church and into Church structures, deepening the implications of the new digital missionary frontier for the renewal of existing parish and diocesan structures (cf. Synthesis Report, no. 17j)?
- What adaptations to the digital environment does the notion of jurisdiction mainly linked to a geographical territory require?
- What are practical recommendations or proposals regarding the Church’s mission in the digital environment?
- Do you have any other input or good practices to share on this topic and possibly any other questions or challenges that need to be addressed in this journey of further study?
2. Thematic Working Groups and Synodal Gathering
To explore these questions in more depth, we established three thematic working groups, as outlined in the updated methodology:
● Scholars and Pastoral Experts Working Group
This group includes 33 members from Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, North America, and South America. Their work and expertise explore theological, canonical, and structural questions related to the Church’s digital presence and engagement.
● The Church Listens to You Working Group
This working group brings together 12 leaders from the global Church Listens to You initiative. Their reflections are rooted in the concrete experience of synodal listening and outreach in the digital environment.
● Faith Communication in the Digital World Alumni Working Group
This group includes 11 participants aged 25-35 from Portugal, the United States, Lebanon, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Canada, and Croatia. It represents a dynamic network of Catholic communicators and young leaders deeply engaged in digital evangelization and intercultural dialogue.
In March 2025, members of Study Group 3 gathered in person for a synodal meeting. This gathering allowed us to review submissions, discern key themes, and strengthen shared understanding of the Church’s digital mission.
3. Current Status and Next Steps
By the beginning of June 2025, Study Group 3 had completed its review of synodal foundations, global consultations, and working group discernment, had begun drafting its report, and was prepared to submit our final report by the original deadline. In light of the new timeline and encouragement from Pope Leo XIV, we will now:
● Update key themes taking into account new contributions,
● Explore re-engaging our working groups and other contributors in light of the new pastoral context,
● Synthesize and integrate the work carried out during the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, which will take place in Rome on 28 and 29 July, and
● Synthesize and integrate our findings into a final report by year-end 2025.
4. Reflections on the Synodal Approach
The digital environment is “indistinguishable from the sphere of everyday life,” as Pope Francis has said. This process has confirmed that synodality, marked by listening, dialogue, and discernment, is not only a method but a necessary path for the Church’s presence in digital spaces.
We remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve this work of the universal Church and will continue with renewed dedication and openness to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Coordinator: Dr Kim Daniels
[1] Mgr. Graham BELL, Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World), has been added to the list published in 2024.