Who are we

President. Dr. Josep Ma Carbonell and Abelló (Barcelona, 1957)

Dean and professor at the Faculty of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna at the Ramon Llull University since April 2011. Doctor in communication for the URL, he has been a member of the Parliament of Catalonia (1995-2003), director and president of the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC), member of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Political and Social Sciences of Catalonia (ICPS), director of the cabinet of the president of the Diputació de Barcelona (1986-1995), President of the Fundació Joan Maragall (2011-2019) and member of the Board of Directors of BTV among other positions.

His favorite writers are Stefan Zweig, Gore Vidal, Gabriel García Márquez, Henning Mankell. He is the author of several books, most notably “The Future of Communication” (UOC Ed.), “To Believe, Still” (Ed. Vienna).

Director. Dr. Míriam Díez Bosch (Girona, 1973) – Her articles here

Journalist and theologian. Professor and Vice Dean of Research, Postgraduate and International Relations at the Faculty of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna at the Ramon Llull University of Barcelona. Director of Global Engagement at Aleteia.org. Vice-president of the Catalonia Religion Foundation. Member of the International Society for Media, Religion and Culture; of the steering committee of the Institute for Migration Studies, at the Comillas Pontifical University of Madrid; of the executive committee of the Spanish Network Anna Lindh Foundation; and of the ARC advisory board of the Center for the Anthropology of Religion and Cultural Change, at the Sacro Cuore University of Milan – among many others.

She speaks 7 languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian, Modern Greek and has knowledge of German and can read Portuguese. Her favorite writers are Flannery O’Connor, Carson McCullers, Emily Dickinson and she admires the work of Edith Stein; in a feminine key. She likes to read in order to live more lives.

Dr. Josep Lluís Micó Sanz (La Font de la Figuera, 1974) – His articles here

Professor of Journalism at the Ramon Llull University and vice-dean of the Faculty of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna, where, previously, he has been director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and the University Master’s Degree in Advanced Journalism and Reporting Blanquerna-Godó Group, among other degrees. He has led national and international research projects and has participated in innovation initiatives with technological giants such as Google or Facebook. In the classrooms, he teaches and practices with the students the same genres and formats that, later, he applies in media or groups such as ‘La Vanguardia’, Prensa Ibérica or RTVE: new new journalism, massive data visualization, branded journalism … He has won several essay and article awards and has appeared on numerous digital influencers lists in the electronic music and fourth industrial revolution categories.

Dr. Alba Sabaté Gauxachs (Sant Carles de la Ràpita, 1991) – Her articles here

Journalist. Deputy Director of the Blanquerna Observatory for Communication, Religion and Culture. Professor of the degrees of Journalism and Global Communication Management at the Blanquerna Faculty of Communication and International Relations, Ramon Llull University. She is interested in communication and the media as a space for understanding between cultures and confessions. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Association for Christian Communication and has been chosen as a Fellow of the KAICIID Center for Interreligious Dialogue and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

She likes books and airplanes because they take people new places. Reader of The New Yorker magazine and admirer of the city that holds the same name. Prefers the sea nearby.

 Lydia Dionís Giordano (Barcelona, 1999)

Student of International Relations at the Faculty Blanquerna of Communication and International Relations. Team leader of the campaign #BeTheKey. Coordinator of the Global Leadership Network Youth in Spain. Member of the European Parliament for Youth. She also collaborates at the section Claraboia at Pregària.cat.

She speaks Catalan, Spanish, English, Italian and French. She is passionate about traveling, learning, reading and enjoying the small pleasures of life.

Valentina Laferrara (Córdoba, Argentina, 1993)

PhD candidate in Social Communication at the Faculty of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna of the Ramon Llull University, with a research plan funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Social Fund. She completed a Master’s Degree in Advanced Reporting Journalism at the same institution and studied Professional Journalism and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Communication in Córdoba (Argentina). She completed a specialization course in Digital Marketing and a professional training in PC-assisted Graphic Design.

She speaks Spanish, English and French, and is learning Catalan and Italian. She is curious about cultures and life stories. Enjoys writing, painting and designing.

Verónica Israel Turim (Montevideo, 1984)

PhD candidate in Communications at Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Ramon Llull University. Researcher at Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture. Guest professor at the Master in Cultural Communication and the Diploma of Religious Communication in the same center. Master degree in Cultural Production and Communication.

Sílvia Pascual Fontanilles (Valls, 2000)

Global Communication Management student at the Faculty of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna and intern at the Blanquerna Observatory. Collaborator of the Claraboya section of Pregària.cat. She has been a volunteer at the Deepti Foundation in New Delhi and at the Santo Egidio Community in Barcelona. She speaks Catalan, Spanish, English, French, German and is studying Russian and Chinese.

She likes to play sports, especially running and playing basketball, traveling and learning languages. Silvia is a “castellera” of the Colla Joves dels Xiquets de Valls and very curious towards cultural matters. She couldn’t live without coffee or cinnamon!

Xavier Memba (Bata, Guinea Equatorial, 1971)

With studies in theology, religious sciences and humanities, he has been a Protestant pastor in the last twenty years in Tarragona, Vilafranca del Penedès and Barcelona. He does research in the field of communication, while trying to articulate an intelligible theological discourse in the post-secular framework of a global city like Barcelona. Topics of special interest include: gospel, post-Christianity, city, dialogue between faith and culture, intercultural communication and narratology. From time to time he “complicates” his life by organizing events or starting small projects of cultural nature.

Ana Pascual Alberich (Barcelona, 2001)

Global Communication Management student during the mornings and English teacher during the afternoons. She is an animal lover and, in fact, is a volunteer for an organization that defends the rights of all animals called PAS (Plataforma Animalista de Sant Cugat). She loves being surrounded by nature, especially in the mountains. She also likes singing and playing the ukulele. She practices mindfulness, which is her philosophy of life.

Former members…

Dr. Jordi Sànchez-Torrents. Deputy Director (2012-2019).

Maria D’Oultremont. Journalism Graduate.

Maria Vives Requena. International Relations Graduate.

Paula Cid Moya. International Relations Graduate.

Meritxell Cabanas. Primary Education Teacher and Journalist.

Adriana Chiva Polvillo. Global Communication Management student.