Several of the participants at the 2025 EWTN Summer Academy in Rome, an intensive program in religious journalism and digital storytelling, come from places where Catholics live their faith amid severe adversity. / Credit: Lemmy Ogbonnaya Ijioma/EWTN Summer Academy
Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
MikhailAjjanfledwar-tornSyriaandtheterrorsofISISwithhisfamilywhenhewas10.NowauniversitystudentinSweden,the21-year-oldCatholicfacesavastlydifferentchallengeoflivinghisfaithinasecularenvironmentandishoninghismediaskillstohelpspreadtheGospel.
Ajjanisoneofmorethan40youngCatholicsfrom23countrieswhohavecometogethertotraininthe2025EWTNSummerAcademyinRome,anintensiveprograminreligiousjournalismanddigitalstorytelling,whichcoincidesthisyearwiththeCatholicChurch’sJubileeofYouth.
MikhailAjjan,21,isoriginallyfromAleppo,Syria,butnowlivesinSweden.Credit:LemmyOgbonnayaIjioma/EWTNSummerAcademySeveraloftheacademyparticipantscomefromplaceswhereCatholicslivetheirfaithamidsevereadversity—fromwarzonestocountrieswherecartelviolenceorreligiouspers
