CRI and Communication Commission Organize Training for Religious on Smart Digital Citizenship
Mangaluru: To empower religious communities with the tools for a secure and ethical online presence, a specialized capacity-building session on Cyber Safety and Digital Integrity was held at the Fatima Retreat Centre, Jeppu, on February 22, 2026. The program was organized by the Conference of Religious India (CRI) Mangalore, in association with the Commission for Social Communication and the Canara Communication Centre (CCC).
The training sessions were led by a specialized resource team from the Commission for Social Communication, comprising experts in the field of media and communication. Rev. Fr Anil Ivan Fernandes, Director of CCC and Secretary of the Commission, headed the team. The primary trainers included Sr Grace Bennis Bethany (Vamanjoor), Joint Secretary of the Commission; Mr Leo Victor (Modankap), Cyber Security Expert; Mr Ashwin Dsouza, (Urwa), IT Expert; and Mr Wilson Pereira, (Belvai), Assistant Professor at St Aloysius (Deemed to be University).
The workshop was highly interactive and activity-based, moving away from traditional lectures. The resource team provided live demonstrations of cyber security protocols and offered real-time assistance to participants, helping them navigate privacy settings, identify digital threats, and practice ethical media engagement on their own devices.
Around 110 religious priests and sisters participated in the session. In their feedback, the participants expressed high levels of satisfaction, noting that the practical approach gave them the confidence to navigate the digital world and handle their “media life” more effectively and securely.
The program commenced with a prayer and welcome address by Rev. Fr Dominic Vas, President of CRI Mangalore. Fr Anisio Mota SDB, Secretary of CRI, and the executive members of CRI were present on the occasion.
In his remarks, Fr Dominic emphasized the necessity of digital literacy, announcing that more such training programs will be organized in the future in collaboration with the Commission for Social Communication and CCC Mangalore. Sr Sunitha Mary AC proposed the vote of thanks, acknowledging the expertise and effort of the trainers in demystifying the digital world.