VATICAN: Church Leaders Urged To Invest In Media
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Life constitutes a double danger when you have an enemy and are unaware. But by being aware and conscious of the existence of an enemy, the danger is reduced, comments a participant Fr. George Nwachukwu, a representative of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA).
The Nigerian cleric emphasizes that Church leaders, as well as all stakeholders in the Church, need to be media literate, so as to be conscious of potential media biases, and reduce the risk of being misled or influenced negatively.
“This conference is a wake-up call for us especially when we have a lot of propaganda and lobbies that are taking over the media space. We need to arise, look at the danger in front of us, and ask ourselves, what do we do about it? The priest posed.
He encouraged working together to confront the common enemy and urged Catholic bishops to take the lead by being interested in the media and investing in it.
Communication is a tool for positive change and for building connections despite potential risks. In this case, communicators are called to be courageous in their dissemination of the gospel truth to society.
Speaking to Vatican News at the side-line of the global event that was addressing the contemporary challenges of digital media from 27-29 January, the Bishop of Hosannah in Ethiopia Rt. Rev. Seyoum Fransua Noel who is also chairman of the Social Communication department at the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region, stressed the essence of being bold in communication.
“We need to be courageous to accept responsibility for communication. Some people are positive in the use of the use of media, but some use the platform for fake news and distort people’s image. Amidst this, we must be courageous in proclaiming the truth,” he said.
The fact that Artificial Intelligence is no longer a concept but an existing and active part of our world today, Bishop Fransua pointed out the need for formation of Christians.
“We are to make use of technology for the good and benefit of the formation of Christians. We therefore need to pay attention to these changes and be careful not to be involved in the cloning of human intelligence,” he said.
Artificial Intelligence is to be used for the good of the Church and “Unless we know it we can be victims. Therefore, let us use it for the formation of the good of humanity,” he added.