Final Statement
Statement of the ICPA 30th National Convention of Christian Journalists
We, the members of the Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) met for the 30th National Convention of Christian Journalists and the Annual General Body Meeting (AGBM) on 19 - 21 September , 2025,at the Inigo Sadan (PG Block), Jnana Deepa, Pune.
The theme of our Convention was ‘Print Journalism in the Digital Age: Staying Relevant and Navigating Challenges’. The theme was not only challenging and relevant but also provided us with directions to respond to the fast - changing and complex reality we live in today.
During our Convention, we were privileged to listen to a wide - range of excellent speakers. Each of them, given their wealth of experience and expertise, dealt with the theme through various dimensions. The insightful and inspirational presentations, besides giving us much food- for-thought, have also challenged us to act now, with urgency.
The ordinary citizens of India are faced with many problems. These include growing communalism and corruption and the frequent assaults on the democratic and pluralistic fabric of the country. Truth and justice have taken a backseat. To add to the woes of the common person, most of the media, has abdicated its role and responsibility as the fourth pillar of democracy. It is not without reason that in the 2025 edition of World Press Freedom Index, India still languishes at an abysmal 151 out of 180 countries. This is a clarion call for all of us to do all we can to defend and promote the Constitutional Freedom of Speech and Expression
Print journalism today is alive and vibrant!We are convinced that it must continue to play its unique and indispensable role. We do not deny the importance of digital media today; as those engaged with the print media, we need to find creative ways and means to complement our efforts, in our highly digitalised world. To stay relevant and face the challenges of today, we are also called to seriously introspect on the content of our publications, check if they respond to the signs of the times and to see how best we can conscientise our readers, in more effective ways.
As an integral part of our Convention, we also released a meaningful and contextual book on the theme, with excellent contributions from media experts and journalists. This book could serve as a handbook to all those who seek the need for and importance of print media in today’s digital world. ,
We are nearing the end of the Church’s Jubilee Year , in which we are invited to be pilgrims of hope. At this convention, we remembered with gratitude our beloved Pope Francis who was called to his eternal reward in April this year. He was a communicator par excellence who left no stone unturned to make communications more contextual today. Significantly one of his last messages whilst on this earth, was for the 59th World Day of Social Communications which we observed on 1 June 2025 . In that message he emphatically stated, “Always spread hope, even when it is difficult, even when it costs, even when it seems not to bear fruit.Try to promote a communication that can heal the wounds of our humanity.Make room for the heartfelt trust that, like a slender but resistant flower, does not succumb to the ravages of life, but blossoms and grows in the most unexpected places. It is there in the hope of those mothers who daily pray to see their children return from the trenches of a conflict, and in the hope of those fathers who emigrate at great risk in search of a better future. It is also there in the hope of those children who somehow manage to play, laugh, and believe in life even amid the debris of war and in the impoverished streets of favelas.”
Finally, we the members of the ICPA pledge to do all we can to stay relevant and navigate the challenges of today. We do so, by demonstrating the prophetic courage to be heralds of truth and beacons of hope, communicating with our heart, the Gospel values of compassion, justice, and peace to all.
Dated: 21 September 2025