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| National workshop-KCCB Communicators, Nakuru, Kenya |
Most Rev. Muheria the Archbishop for Nyeri said this at an annual meeting organized by Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) which took place from November 16 to 20, 2021 at Saint Mary’s Pastoral Centre, Nakuru, Diocese,
“We must be at the service of the truth for the word to be redemptive… Ours is the challenge to be truthful; to work with God; and to catechize,” he said adding, “To have the truth is not enough: it is the packaging of that truth which matters a lot. Unfortunately, our biggest problem is failure to package the truth in a way that can compel the people,” he reiterated.
On the role of the Catholic media during Kenya’s forthcoming General elections in August 2022, Most Rev. Muheria reminded the Church communicators of the negative role the secular media played during the country’s 2007 elections which ended up with many people dying and thousands internally displaced during the post-election conflicts that rocked the country.
Pointing at the example of Jesus the perfect communicator who ably communicated with people, on one-on-one basis but also to thousands of people without using microphones, Archbishop Muheria emphasized on the power of the word which, when used effectively at the service of the truth and peace building, can redeem the world, setting the people free.
Speaking to over thirty participants that came from all the dioceses in the country, Most Rev. Muheria recognized the Catholic communicators as implementors of the Church’s pastoral agenda in their respective dioceses. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the word has the potentiality to create and transform the human society but also to destroy if not properly used.
On this note, Archbishop Muheria referenced the story of the serpent in Genesis 3, which lied to Eve and Adam and eventually destroyed their relationship with God.
He then warned the communicators: “We have the power to redeem but also to destroy. The first chapter of the Gospel according to John underpins this conviction that communication is not just to speak but to create, recreate, uplift and transform humanity. In the person of Jesus Christ, God’s communication aims at taking us to himself.
Again, comparing the Catholic radio to the secular media which dedicate a lot of pages and airtime to sensational news and condemning some members of the society, the Bishop Chair for KCCB Social Communications called upon all Catholic communicators to ensure that their institutions dedicate their energy to urging their listeners to conversion of the heart.
“We are not whistle blowers but enablers of the people to convert and enjoy communion with God. Therefore, be factual and stand for the provocative, educative and discreet truth,” he said urging them to do thorough research and fact checking.
“People are often ignorant about the truth yet every media house claims to be knowledgeable,” he went on.
Most Rev. Muheria further lamented that the Catholic media tend to lag behind the secular media instead of being pace setters. Therefore, he urged all Catholic communicators to emulate the examples of great communicators in the Church such as Pope Pius XII who effectively use the radio; Pope Saint John Paul II who would internalize the Scriptures and send compelling messages to the youth; and Pope Francis who effectively uses Twitter to reach out to the people with messages.
“Our Excuse is often lack of funds yet such problems should be our workshop for innovative ideas,” he continued as he challenged the Catholic communicators to invest more in research and to make reading their habit so that they are more knowledgeable about the issues affecting the people.
“What should be our aim in Catholic media? It is to influence people’s minds. Therefore, inculcate the culture of reading and doing research: reading a lot and reading appropriate literature. To influence, we must be well informed. Set up libraries; research on topical issues so as to gather more information,” he said.
Archbishop Muheria also pointed out at the need for them to learn from the art of spinning which characterizes the secular media industry saying, “The truth is not enough: we must be astute in packaging the truth. As proclaimers of the Good News, we need to package it well so that it can sell and compel the people,” he said
“ None of these guys who are behind the fake news have no academic degrees: they are shrewd and able to sell lies. On our part, we lack the ability to use credible people such as the bishops and other lay professionals who can tell the truth in a compelling manner,” Archbishop Muheria continued.
The KCCB chairman for Social Communications also urged the Catholic communicators to do audience research so as to explore the effectiveness of the media which they are using. However, he noted that the power of the FM radio in Kenya cannot be underestimated.
“Harness the power of the radio and improve the way of doing your apostolate. Why don’t the Catholic radio feature highly in ratings? Is it not because we tend to be over-confident about ourselves so much that we do not invest in audience research in order to improve?” the Archbishop quizzed in order to emphasize the need for the Catholic radios in Kenya to improve their way of doing things.