MALAWI: Catholic Journalists Challenged to Put their Faith First
Catholic journalits in a group photo with The Secretary General and Fr. Godino Phokoso
Catholic journalists belonging to the Association of Catholic Journalists in Malawi (ACJ) and all Catholic journalists in the country have been challenged to be inspired by their faith in carrying out their duty because they are Catholics first and then journalist.
The challenge was put forward by the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Rev Fr. Henry Saindi when he officially opened the ACJ training on Catholic Social Teaching the Role of a Catholic Journalist in the forthcoming tripartite elections. The training was organized by ECM’s Communications and Research Commission and it was held from 25th to 27th of January, 2019 at Our Lady of Africa Conference Centre.
The workshop is a result of the June 2017 bishops’ plenary during which they tasked the National Communications and Research Coordinator to organize a training on Catholic Social Teaching (CST) for all Catholic journalists so that they are well informed on the social teachings and values of the Church. Following the Bishops’ directive, the ECM Communications Commission engaged different partners to raise funds for the training to which Propaganda Fide responded positively.
In his remarks, the Secretary General said the training was a call to the journalists to serve the nation by living their Catholic belief in the various media houses. He challenged them to be men and women of courage and conviction, and demand personal integrity in their daily work as inspired by St. Thomas More who lived a life of conviction, courage, love and genuine Catholic faith.
“Journalists always face tension between their faith and civil duty. This can’t be avoided. What you need is to be men and women of principles, guided by a properly formed conscience. The CST presents to you values which should always help you overcome the dilemma of your professionalism and Catholicism. However, the Catholic faith must always come first because soon after you were born, you were baptized and then you pursued your professional career.” Said Fr. Saindi.
On the work of the ACJ in the Church, he said visibility of association equals visibility of the Church. He commended ACJ for making the activities of the Church known through platforms like newspapers, radios, television and social media. He also reminded them of the need to deepen their faith which he said is very important in the work they do.
Speaking on the role of a Catholic Journalist in the forthcoming Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government elections this May 2019, Fr. Saindi said it is the duty of a Catholic journalist to ensure that the work he or she is doing leads to free and fair elections. He urged them to desist from fuelling violence among political parties by reporting truthfully and being nonpartisan.
Catholic Social Teaching by Fr. Henry Chinkanda
“Catholic Journalists need not lie; if we say we are Catholic, we need to prove it. This country needs people willing to stand for the truth and the common human values. A Catholic journalist can make a difference only if he or she has a faith he is willing to suffer for,” advised the Secretary General.
In his remarks, Chairman for ACJ Mr. Augustine Mulomole said the Association is doing commendable work in letting people know what the Church is doing out there. He said this is evidenced by the number of articles on Church activities every week in newspapers and on radio and television news.
“I congratulate ACJ members from all the four parts of the country for making sure that Church activities are visible in the country and outside. We have a lot of work in our various employment places but we make sure that Church activities are not left out. Let’s keep doing this good work. Let me use this opportunity to invite those Catholic journalists who do not belong to ACJ for various reasons to join the Association as they are missing a lot. I also urge the members here present to reach out to non-members and let them know the benefits of being in this association,” said Mulomole.
The training was attended by Catholic journalists from all four chapters of the Association of Catholic Journalists in Malawi namely Southern Region Chapter, Eastern Region Chapter, Central Region Chapter and Northern Region Chapter. Among other issues tackled were Resource Mobilization and Project Proposal Writing.
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By: ECM’s Stella Zulu
