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(Vatican City, September 2022). Ms. Helen Osman has received an official appointment from Pope Francis to be a consultor for the Vatican’s Dicastery of Communication. The news was given to her by Prefect Paolo Ruffini and made official through the Holy See Press Office on September 29, 2022, on the feast day of the Archangels, in remembrance of Archangel Gabriel, patron of communications.
“This is a humbling honor,” Osman said. “While the Church is often challenged in our efforts on the ‘Digital Continent,’ to quote Pope Benedict, I believe we are also in a time of grace, as we find creative ways to use digital means to build peace and encourage freedom of expression and freedom of religion throughout the world. I hope my service to the Dicastery will also be of service to SIGNIS members, as we work together to transform our cultures in the light of the Gospel.”
In this new role that Helen is to hold for five years, she will also be joined by other members and friends of SIGNIS:
- Fr. Andrew Kaufa, Coordinator of the Communications Office for the Regional Bishops Conference, AMECEA (Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa)
- Sr. Adelaide Felicitas Ndilu, National Executive Secretary of the Kenyan Episcopal Conference, Director of Radio Waumini, and representative for SIGNIS Kenya.
- Oscar Elizalde, Coordinator of the Communications Department of CELAM (Episcopal Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean), and member of SIGNIS Colombia.
- Fr. George Plattoham, Secretary of the Social Communications Office, Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences
- Rev. Fabio Pasqualetti, Dean of the Social Communications Faculty at the Pontifical Salesian University
Ms. Osman’s appointment is a recognition for all of SIGNIS, which is called to be “a network that unites, a network that liberates, a network woven of truth, beauty, faith, and hope”, as mentioned by Dr. Paolo Ruffini during the SIGNIS World Congress 2022.
May all the newly appointed consultants keep working hard and sharing their knowledge, in order to make sure that people from around the world not only listen with the ear of their heart but also, as the new topic for World Communications Day 2023 reads: speak from the heart.
