KENYA: Ahead of African Press Congress Catholic Journalists Urged to be Agents of Hope
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Catholic journalists in Africa have been encouraged to be agents of hope especially during this period of “despair” when the world is facing wave after wave of Covid-19 and people need encouragement.
“As Catholic journalists, let us continue to be agents of hope and role models in moments of despair,” Executive Council of the Union of the African Catholic Press (UCAP) said in a statement signed by Mr. George Sunguh the association’s president.
The organization that brings together Catholic journalists both in the Church and secular media across Africa has urged journalists that amidst being role models and messengers of hope, they need to be candid as the Church depends on them.
“As professional journalists, we compete to bring the “Prophets of False News” to the public’s attention. Armed with our Christian teachings, the Church is counting on us to demystify all the lies spread through the social media by these ‘prophets,” the statement dated Wednesday, March 3, reads in part.
Highlighting the uniqueness of the year 2020 that led to postponement of UCAP congress, the statement says that last year was “an exceptional year whose history books will note the unprecedented closure of places of worship during the best part of the year due to the global health challenge facing humanity with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Despite all this, the President said referring to the pandemic, “We should never let the ball drop in our journalistic role of interpreting and educating our faithful on the new rules that the World Health Organization, respective governments and Bishops’ Conferences continue to propose to mitigate this pandemic.”
He added, “The best encouragement we can offer is enshrined in the age-old saying: ‘Difficult times create strong men (and women).’ Let’s stay alert and be more innovative because there’s a silver lining in every dark cloud.”
Mr. Sunguh acknowledged on behalf of the Council that amidst the pandemic, the year 2020 has not been in vain since the UCAP officials organized virtual sessions that brought together members and stakeholders.
Our topic “The role of new media in religious services during and after Covid-19” was skillfully discussed in English and French by a panel of presenters and upcoming participants from across the continent and around the world, including the Vatican, through its Communications Dicastery,” the statement highlighted an online session that was conducted amidst the pandemic challenges.
“It was indeed a relevant and topical subject because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic that has hit us in both the political and health crisis -difficult times indeed,” the officials described in their collective statement.
According to the Union’s Executive council, the Congress that was scheduled for August 2020 in Libreville, Gabon will now be held in Togo a location that will easily be accessed by a majority of the members.
“After a thorough consultation within the Executive Committee, we decided to change the location of the congress to a city easily accessible by a majority of our members,” the statement reads and continues, “UCAP Togo has therefore kindly accepted to host our Congress provisionally postponed for August 2021.”
The Council has asked for continued prayers so that the “whirlwind” of “COVID 19 will pass safely over each of us so that we can all come together as one family.”
Referencing Pope Francis’ message they concluded, “May Mary Most Holy, the woman of expectation, accompany our steps at the beginning of this new liturgical year and help us to accomplish the task of the disciples of Jesus, indicated by the Apostle Peter…to give an account of the hope that is in us.”
