AMECEA: AMECEA Secretary General Urges Church Communicators to Continue Fulfilling Their Mission Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

Following Covid-19 pandemic challenges that has hit most sectors in the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region and communication departments not exempted, Communication Coordinators from the Conferences have been challenged to come up with new ways on how agents of evangelization can promulgate the Word of God to all people.

Addressing the Coordinators during their virtual annual planning meeting on Tuesday, February 16, AMECEA Secretary General Fr. Anthony Makunde highlighted that “Traditional ways of communicating have been challenged during this period of pandemic. Hence as communicators there is need to come up with some new ways that will help the agents of evangelization carry the message of Christ to all people.”

Fr. Makunde acknowledged that the role of a journalists, has become an important tool for the Church to fulfil her mission especially in situations where places of worship have been closed.

According to Fr. Makunde, a number of media channels have been disseminating a lot of information that has “confused people who are in search of channels where they will have news not for the sake of money, popularity or political campaigns but who are in search of truth.”

“The place we believe will provide such environment is the Church-run media and I call upon all of us (Communication Coordinators) to create a forum, to create a space and an environment for the agents of evangelization to continue fulfilling their mission,” Fr. Makunde expressed during the Tuesday virtual session that brought together Coordinators from seven AMECEA countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

He added that communicators have to find better ways on how to communicate “to our people who are already in difficulties, who are already sick, who are already burying their loved ones and yet they need to receive messages of consolation.”

During his opening remarks, the Secretary General also reminded the Communication Coordinators within AMECEA region about the preparation needed for the forthcoming bishop’s Plenary Assembly slated for 2022 in Tanzania.

“Let us take this year seriously for preparations. You need to be aware that the central theme for the Plenary is on the care for our common home and will be guided by the Pope’s Encyclical “Laudato Si’ where we will try to evaluate how the issues of environment has affected the integral development of our region.”

He disclosed that the theme of the 20^th Plenary Assembly is grounded on two pillars; “Conversion of heart” and “Ongoing formation.”

Furthermore, he asked the Communication Coordinators to carry out their role and help the bishops, the Clergy and other agents of evangelization, carry out their mission and propagate the “Message of nurturing our common home to the people with the idea that comes from the heart of each Catholic faithful, which is conversion of heart.”

“It is also important to let people know that care for our common home is not just an ongoing theme for the Plenary but something we are going to build on as far as care of the Mother Earth is concerned,” Fr. Makunde said adding, “We have to put in place some strategies that will help the Church in the Region continue nurturing the environment knowing that this our common home is not ours but we are only stewards who are supposed to hand it over to the coming generation.”