Card. Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, was invited to outline the figure of the patron saint of journalists. At the morning study session, there shall be Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Holy See's Dicastery for Communication, and Fr. Giulio Albanese, Comboni missionary and journalist. Young reporters from Cube Radio, the academic radio station of the Salesian University Institute of Venice (Iusve), will propose a short film entitled "St. Francis de Sales, Yesterday and Tomorrow" to highlight his current relevance.
The meeting will be introduced by Mimmo Vita, President UCSI Veneto, and Michela Possamai, President ISRE of Venice, along with religious and civil authorities and those who helped make the event possible. This will be followed by a round table discussion, moderated by UCSI National President Vincenzo Varagona, focusing on info-demics and the transformation of today's communication, amid profound crises in and outside the media, which will be attended by journalists Lucia Bellaspiga (Avvenire) and Vania de Luca (Rai Tg3, Italian state TV), University of Padua professors prof. Vittorio Berti (History of Christianity), prof. Fabrizio Ferrari (History of Religions), and prof. Enzo Pace (Sociology of Religions), journalist and President of the Italian Catholic Webmasters Association (WECA) Fabio Bolzetta, and Federico Ruozzi, professor of History of Christianity at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
The choice of Padua for this nationwide meeting is dictated by the fact that St. Francis de Sales attended the University of Padua between 1588 and 1592, when he studied Law and Theology, and it was in this city that he most likely made the decision to become a priest.
The morning of study and insight, accredited with the Veneto Journalists' Association for the awarding of academic credits, is supported by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, Banca di Credito Cooperativo di Patavina, and the Veneto Region. It also features the patronage of: Province and City of Padua, University of Padua, National and Regional Order of Journalists, Veneto Union of Journalists, Vatican News, Italian Federation of Diocesan Weeklies (FISC), WECA, Salesians Don Bosco-Italy, Episcopal Conference of Triveneto, Diocese of Padua, the Salesian University Institute Venice (IUSVE), Basilica of St. Anthony, Messaggero di Sant'Antonio, Ente Nazionale Sordi, and the collaboration of the Voluntary Consortium for the Protection of Euganean Hills Wines.
