Talking Mission - Simone Medri

We welcome Simone Medri, our Director of Communications and Digital, to Talking Mission, where we introduce you to people who are turning Mission into action. During the Jubilee of Mission, Simone joined Cardinals, bishops, missionaries, and lay leaders in reflecting on the Church’s missionary identity and the shared call to bring hope to all nations.

Could you introduce yourself and your role at Catholic Mission?

My name is Simone Medri, I have been with Catholic Mission since 2013, and I am serving the organisation as the Director of Communications and Digital.

I am deeply passionate about supporting the missionary Church. Over the years, I have travelled and seen what happens when faith becomes action, especially in communities living at the margins. I have witnessed love in its purest form; I have seen God through the dedication of those who give everything to others.

While I cannot do the work of missionaries myself, I see my mission as helping to carry their voices further. My role is to provide them with platforms, tools and support so their stories can reach and inspire people. I am grateful to do this alongside a wonderful and committed team.

You recently took part in the Jubilee of Hope in Rome. Can you share a little about your experience?

I am part of the Coordination Group of the International Commission for Communication, Faith-Fundraising and Digital Transformation, and through this I was invited to attend the Jubilee in Rome, representing Australia.

We gathered at the Pontifical Urban University, Urbaniana, where Cardinal Tagle and Cardinal Marengo led reflections on mission. Being in that room felt like journeying through mission territories across the world in one place. People from every continent were present, wearing traditional attire, singing, dancing and sharing deep reflections shaped by their unique cultures.

It was an extraordinary experience, a living image of unity in diversity. In a world often divided, those days reminded us of the strength of faith when it brings people together with hope.

Would you say this experience deepened your own sense of mission?

Absolutely. The Jubilee is a time of renewal. It is an invitation to stop, reflect, walk through the Holy Door and renew our commitment to faith, hope and service.

For me, it was very personal and spiritual. Standing among people from every corner of the world, I felt part of something much greater, a living Church that continues to carry hope where it is most needed. It reminded me why I do this work every day and strengthened my dedication to supporting missionaries who dedicate their lives to others.

You also helped lead the creation of the global video, Missionaries of Hope among All Peoples. How does that fit within the Jubilee celebrations?

I have been involved in and helped shape this international commission since it began, around the time of COVID, when only a few of us met online to collaborate. From that small beginning, something meaningful grew, and this global video is one of its most tangible fruits.

This year, more than fifty national offices requested their own version of the video, translated and adapted to their language and identity. That alone is a sign of unity. The message of the video is hope, but the process behind it was also a powerful act of communion.

The Jubilee brought that spirit to life. With Pope Leo XIV’s participation, it marked the beginning of a new chapter. For the first time in history, a Pope has recorded a personal appeal for World Mission Sunday. It is a historic step for mission communication.

One of the highlights this year was Pope Leo XIV recording the first video message for World Mission Sunday since it began in 1926. Do you think his message will inspire people globally?

Yes, I do. The video has already been shared worldwide on television, in newspapers and across digital platforms. It has reached millions, perhaps even billions of people.

Pope Leo XIV’s message is an invitation for all of us to become missionaries of hope. In a time marked by conflict and uncertainty, his words bring us back to what truly unites us: faith, love and service.

Hope and mission belong together, and this message has the power to reignite both. My hope is that it will not only be heard but lived, and if even one person is moved to bring hope to someone in need, then it will have truly fulfilled its mission.