The artificial intelligence, algorithms, and transformations caused by the digital culture will be at the main dialogue of the third edition of the Communication Congress of the Conference of Religious of Brazil, which will be held on September 10 and 11, 2026 at the Santa Marcelina College, in the Perdizes neighborhood, in São Paulo.
The meeting will gather professors, researchers, communicators, and representatives of academic and ecclesial institutions to analyze the changes that the new technologies are generating in the ways of communicating, relating, and producing meanings. The proposal includes a perspective that relates the technological advances with ethical, social, cultural, and human issues.
The inaugural session will feature a keynote address by Professor Lucia Santaella, from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, who will reflect on “Artificial intelligence, algorithms, and digital culture”, his trajectory in the fields of communication and semiotics will mark the beginning of discussions about the impact of technologies on contemporary life.
Critical look at the power of platforms
The program will also bring together specialists from different areas of knowledge, including professors Eugênio Trivinho, from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo; Lindolfo Alexandre de Souza, from the Pontifical University of Campinas; Matheus Jacon Pereira, from the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo; Marcello Zanluchi, PhD in Communication and Semiotics; and Ricardo Mariz, graduate professor in Education and Innovation at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul.
The presence of researchers from different fields seeks to promote an interdisciplinary dialogue about the place that technologies occupy in society. Among the issues that will be addressed are the power of digital platforms, the social transformations derived from artificial intelligence, and the ethical challenges that accompany these processes.
For a Church that has the mission of announcing the Gospel also in the new spaces of encounter and communication, these debates acquire a particular relevance. The congress proposes to look at the digital environment not only from its technical possibilities but also from the questions it raises about human dignity, social relationships, and the construction of meanings.
Communication and religious life in the digital environment
The agenda also includes a specific reflection on the presence of the Church and the consecrated life in digital environments. Among the planned topics are the role of religious influencers, the identity of consecrated individuals in the face of emerging technologies, and the spirituality of those engaged in communication tasks.
The relationship between communication and the humanities will also be addressed, as well as the mediations, languages, and processes that intervene in the construction of meanings within digital culture. The program will include conferences, dialogue spaces, presentation of institutional experiences, and a panel dedicated to these challenges.
Among the participants linked to the ecclesial sphere will be Monsignor Valdir José de Castro, president of the Episcopal Commission for Social Communication of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil; Father Antônio Iraildo Alves de Brito; Professors Nina Krapić and Nataša Govekar; and Brother Alan Patrick Zuccherato, director of Programming at TV Aparecida.
A space to think about the present and future of communication
The Conference of Religious of Brazil presents this meeting as an opportunity to analyze the consequences of new technologies in society and in institutions. The discussion includes both the opportunities these tools offer and the questions that arise regarding their use and their influence on individuals and communities.
The Communication Congress will take place over two days and aims to gather communicators from different regions of Brazil. For the Church, the meeting also represents an opportunity to continue discerning its presence in a transforming culture, where new technologies are changing the ways of informing, dialoguing, evangelizing, and building community.
Event details
Event: Third edition of the Communication Congress of the Conference of Religious of Brazil
Date: September 10 and 11, 2026
Location: Santa Marcelina College, Perdizes neighborhood
City: São Paulo, Brazil
Schedule: September 10, starting at 7:30; September 11, starting at 8:00
Organized by: Conference of Religious of Brazil
Sitio web: congressodecomunicacao.crbnacional.org.br
Press contact: +55 (11) 94273-4023 | +55 (61) 98424-0242
Correo electrónico: comunicacao@crbnacional.org.br
Subscribe for free to our Whatsapp channel https://bit.ly/4hbWWN0
Discover the new 2026 offer of courses, diplomas, and degrees at Cebitepal https://bit.ly/4aHAue1
Because we must care for those who protect creation, the podcast Life Hangs by a Thread arrives https://bit.ly/46cGUiB
