TANZANIA: Archbishop Nyaisonga Wants Catholic Church to use Media to Evangelize
The Archbishop of Mbeya Archdiocese Most Rev. Gervas Nyaisonga has insisted that the Catholic Church in Tanzania ought to value media for effective evangelization. He said this when he was launching campaign for Radio Maria Tanzania popularly known as Mariathon, Mary Marathon, on May 5 this year in St. Patrick’s Church in Vwawa Parish, Mbeya Archdiocese.
In this campaign, Radio Maria Tanzania intends to raise 16,000 USD Dollar for running the daily operation of Radio Maria Tanzania.
In his speech Bishop Nyaisonga said that the basic mission of Catholic Church in the world is to preach the Good News.
He further explained that those days Jesus and his disciples walked distance to preach the Gospel. The first missionaries did the same when they came to Africa to evangelize. They walked distances, climbing mountains, Evangelized to the natives face-to-face, which was effective during their time.
“We are in different century; the number of Catholics has increased; we have modern communication technologies which are accessible to many especially the youth. We need to use them to meet the people and tell them Good News,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of pastoral agents to meet the people and evangelize.
“In the modern world, no one can escape media. The Church can’t avoid media if She wants to be efficient in the mission of conveying the Gospel to people. People are not in the sacristy; they are in the world of the social media. Otherwise we shall be left behind,” he said.
He further said that in a country like Tanzania Catholic Church which has celebrated 150 years of evangelization, the Church cannot use the same methods that the missionaries used in the past, insisting that Catholics must read the Good News in the social media those contents which uplift them both spiritually, economically and physically.
Archbishop Nyaisonga insisted that Catholics must stand for what they believe.
“My brothers and sisters we have a responsibility to witness what we believe. We must stand up and say, ‘I believe in this man who was killed, buried and rose’; that he is truly risen.’ It is through his resurrection we are called Christians,” said Archbishop Nyaisonga.
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Sarah Pelaji, TEC
