The Acting Secretary General for the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo has said that good communication could be a recipe for bringing people of diverse backgrounds together and grow in unity.
Fr Chimombo was speaking on Tuesday in Lilongwe when he opened a two–day workshop for Catholic Diocesan Communication Secretaries and Catholic journalists from different media institutions across the country.
“Good communication helps us grow closer, to know one another better and ultimately grow in unity. Media can help us greatly in this especially now when the networks of human communication have made unprecedented advances,” he said.
He observed that the world of communication could help in either expanding or losing bearings in light of the fact that the speed with which information is communicated exceeds the capacity for reflection and judgement.
Chimombo who is also ECM’s pastoral secretary added that negative publicity could distort truth and misinform people, thereby defeating the mandate of missionary discipleship which aims at transforming the world to Christ.
“The best way to combat negative issues is to talk good and present a positive face of truth about family life and always aim at highlighting the positive things the Church does without making it difficult for people to have access to information,” he emphasised.
Commenting on the 18thAMECEA Plenary that the country hosted last year in July, Fr Chimombo said Bishops of the grouping appreciated the positive results new media has provided in relation to the internet and digital revolution as it directly influences the task of evangelisation.
“Nonetheless, delegates to the AMECEA also took time to explore the disruptive trends that are also emerging with both the pros and cons. On the advantages, new media is a speedy and cheap way of exchanging information and sharing ideas such that they are making the world a global village.
“On the disadvantages, the media may be used to disseminate inauthentic information and ideas whose effects may be toxic to the Gospel and other values such as truth telling,” Chimombo pointed out.
Communications Coordinator for the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), Fr. Chrisantus Ndaga commended the Episcopal Conference of Malawi for successfully hosting the 18th AMECEA Plenary last year.
Fr Ndaga attributed the success to the effective interaction between the clergy and lay people in the church. “The role played by Catholic journalists during the planning and plenary sessions of AMECEA was one of the reasons for the success,” he added.
Fr Ndaga said communication needs to take centre stage in the work of digital age so that the church could move at the same pace with the world, saying it was the responsibility of every member of the church to defend the teachings and values of the Church.
Some of the objectives for the two–day workshop included to help the church embrace new forms of communication for evangelisation, increase visibility of Catholic communicators and enhance coordination of catholic diocesan secretaries and lay Catholic journalists working in the secular media among others.
SOURCE: Arnold Namanja, ECM Communications