UGANDA: Episcopal Conference’s Secretary General Acknowledges Role of Catholic Journalists
AMECEA correspondents pose for a photo during annual meeting in Uganda, 21st-25th November 2022
Sam Kalimba
Members of Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) are pleased with the work of Catholic communicators in the region and in the Church as a whole as shared with Secretary General for the conference.
In his message at the official closing ceremony of the annual meeting for AMECEA Online Correspondents that was held from 21st-25th November, Monsignor John Baptist Kauta said:
“On behalf of UEC, I would like to welcome you to Uganda. At the same time as you close this important workshop, I relay a message of gratitude from the Church for the great role you journalists and communicators play to make sure that our beloved AMECEA region interacts within itself and with the entire universal Church through Online publication,” he said.
Mons. Kauta continued while addressing participants from the member Conferences on Wednesday, November 23, “I know also that you do a good job in your respective conferences in publicizing local Church activities. Thank you for being who you are, the claimers of the Gospel. ”
He likened the work of journalists in the Church to that of the ancient writers of the Gospel like Saints Luke and Mark saying that Catholic journalists are the contemporary evangelists who are so fast to spread the Gospel and the Church acknowledges that there a powerful and mysterious mission in journalists and communicators.
UEC’s Secretary General further advised the journalists giving reference to late Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese Most Rev. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga who died in 2021 that they better tell the truth for this is the time.
He acknowledged that the late Archbishop of Kampala used to say that people must love to say the truth for the truth shall set them free.
He also mentioned that the Church expects a lot more from the journalists and communicators citing an example of what is expected of them to publicize the contents of the documents from Rome on formation of priests and the Synod.
“We are being challenged to proclaim Synodality. I dare ask, as journalists how much of the message of the Synod are you spreading around? Are you challenged enough? Do you respond positively to the issues that the members of the Church are raising? I personally call the witnesses of truth so be that,” he said.
He told the participants to desist from disseminating false information sharing his observation that even though the general public enjoys rumors, “Catholic Journalists must only give the truth to the people.”
On his part, Secretary General for the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Arica (AMECEA) Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Makunde thanked the UEC for hosting the workshop in a hospitable manner. He further asked for continued kind gesture as more meetings are to be taking place in Uganda as part of the preparations for the 2026 Plenary that is earmarked for the UEC.
