AMECEA: Communicators in AMECEA Ready to Restructure Communication Strategies Following the Jubilee Celebration in Rome
Fr. Andrew Kaufa the AMECEA’s Coordinator for Social Communication
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Over a dozen of participants comprising of Presidents for Episcopal Communication Commissions and Directors of National Communication offices from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region have expressed joying for being part of the major celebration of the Jubilee 2025 in Rome.
Since the decree Inter Mirifica in 1963, on media of social communications and the pastoral directive Communio et Progressio in 1971, AMECEA bishops “organized a meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, 1973, and made resolutions on how to implement the decree. Fiftly years down the line, it is time to rethink those strategies in the context where digital technologies have dominated the field of communication,” Fr. Andrew Kaufa the AMECEA’s Coordinator for Social Communication said ahead of their travel.
The ordinary jubilee year 2025 themed “Pilgrim’s of hope” provides opportunity for various groups in the Church to increase their way of evangelization.
From this jubilee celebration Fr. Kafa said, the AMECEA conferences “will raise awareness among the bishops and national coordinators of communication on the new trends and pastoral approaches required. At the same time the fact that the conference will bring the bishops and national coordinators together, is in itself a synodal approach to doing Church communication.”
According to the cleric, since jubilee year is grounded in journying together and for the Church to encourgae the faithful to approach the challenges of life with hope, “national communication coordinators are committed to ensuring that the Catholi c media apostolates engage with the people in the reflection of the theme to give people hope.”
The jubilee celebration was open not only to AMECEA communicators but to all Bishops responsible for Communication and Directors of Communication at all national conferences.
In this case, reflecting on the golden jubilee of the Pan African Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) an initiative of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) that was celebrated in 2023, Fr. Kaufa notes that the eight regions under SECAM are not on the same page when it comes to communication structures and the integration of communication in pastoral planning as some regions invested more than others.
“This jubilee is another opportunity for all the participants from Africa to once again put their heads together and explore new ways of doing church communication, and advise SECAM through CEPACS. This might call for another gathering in Africa at CEPACS or AMECEA level, following the jubilee gathering in Rome,” he said.
