AMECEA: Catholic Media Practitioners Urged to Promote Truth, Collaborate

Judith Sonkho

Catholic media practitioners have been urged to join forces with knowledgeable sources to champion truth. Fr. Marcel Uwineza, a Rwandan Jesuit and Principal at Hekima University College in Kenya, shared this call during an online synod on synodality training organized by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).

The training aimed to equip Catholic media practitioners from across the AMECEA region with the tools to raise awareness about the ongoing synod among the faithful effectively.

Fr. Uwineza emphasized the crucial role of Catholic media, describing radios and television stations as societal parishes, both globally and nationally.

“Let me urge you Catholic media practitioners to help people to sense, journey with God, and feel loved by Him. Promote the truth and show the presence of God in their lives,” said Fr. Uwineza.

On the same occasion, Fr. Andrew Kaufa the Social Communications Coordinator at AMECEA, highlighted that the AMECEA region boasts of having over 60 Catholic radio stations and at least 7 Catholic television stations. AMECEA aims to collaborate with approximately 40 of these stations for the Synodality project.

The main focus lies in comprehending the themes emerging during the Synod on Synodality, synod being the art of journeying together with God and with one another. This follows the Holy Father’s February 2024 letter to the General Secretariat of the Synod which outlines 10 themes for deeper reflection and specialists’ consideration.

“These are some of the themes where radio and TV producers and presenters can engage with people to discuss and hear their opinions,” Fr. Kaufa noted.

He further expressed their expectation that Catholic media practitioners would deepen their understanding of synodality, as a way of enabling themself to engage in meaningful conversations with the faithful via the radio and television. This involves consulting knowledgeable sources within the Church rather than relying solely on potentially misleading secular media.

“Now that they have been trained, we expect the radios and TVs to start immediately developing concepts and work plans for their synodality programs,” Fr. Kaufa said and added, “With the October session of the assembly of the delegates in Rome approaching, it is crucial to amplify the people’s expectations regarding the synodal Church.”