This meeting, which begins on Monday, will bring 300 young people from across the world for six days.

The outcome from the gathering will be presented to the members of the October Synod of Bishops on Young People, together with other documentation, for their reflection and study.

McCafferty is a member of the Family & Young Church team in the Archdiocese of Wellington.

She took part in the preparatory meeting in Rome last year and has been part of the re-establishment of a National Council for Young People.

She served on the organising committee for the Aotearoa Catholic Youth Festival in December and has been involved with Life Teen Summer Camps.

McCafferty will be posting about the experience on social media and inviting young New Zealanders to contribute their own reflections throughout the week of meetings.

Click on here to follow her posts about the meeting.

The Vatican is also inviting young people, aged 16-29 the world over to get involved, through social media, and take part in the discussion and make their voices heard.

Anyone in this age group can also participate by commenting on different questions online.

But to do so they need to visit the Vatican's webpage for the Synod or this Facebook page and register by Friday 16^th March.

The date for the meeting was chosen to enable all participants to take part, at the end of the meeting, in the celebration of the Eucharist on the Palm Sunday with the Holy Father in Saint Peter's Square at the 33rd World Youth Day 2018.

The theme is Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.

Source

Supplied New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference

According to an article in the Hollywood Reporter, Pope Francis is "apparently" interested in discussing how the Church is perceived by western media influencers.

The Pope also reportedly wants to explore ways in which the Church's portrayal in popular entertainment can be improved.

These reasons have been denied by some of those reportedly involved.

The meeting is believed to be in the northern autumn.

The Vatican, which is said to be working with the non-profit Varkey Foundation, came up with a list of Hollywood players to invite this gathering.

Other "names" reportedly on the invitee shortlist include "super agent" Ari Emanuel, film and television producer Brian Grazer, and magnate David Geffen.

A Varkey Foundation spokesman said the foundation "has been in discussions with representatives of the Vatican about a potential meeting examining the role of media on the values of young people throughout the world".

But the spokesman added that "the meeting under consideration is emphatically not a discussion about the reputation of the Catholic Church and never has been".

"Recent media speculation about the purpose and possible participants of such a meeting is inaccurate and premature," he said.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis told an Argentine newspaper that he hadn't watched TV since 1990, after making a promise to the Virgin Mary.

"I told myself: 'It's not for me'," Francis said.

The Pope said that he doesn't surf the internet either, and reads only one newspaper for ten minutes in the morning.

Sources

• Hollywood Reporter
• Daily Mail
• Image: Oprah.com