Amecea discuss Pope Benedict’s agenda for Africa
Association of Member Episcopal Conferences for East Africa (Amecea) communicators met in Nairobi, Kenya, from May 21 to May 25 2012 to discuss how to publicise Pope Benedict XV1 document called Africae Munus (Africa’s Commitment).
The book challenges Africa to promote reconciliation, justice and peace.
Amecea country members are Malawi, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya and Juba. Eritrea, Djibouti.
Malawi was represented by Episcopal Conference of Malawi national secretary for social communications Sr. Helen Kasaka, president of the Association of Catholic Journalists Deogratias Mmana and Radio Maria presenter Mercy Saini.
The participants were drilled on the use of social media as one way of publicising the Pope’s document.
Amecea Bishop chair for communications Charles Kasonde challenged Catholic journalists to re-evaluate their communication priorities to come up with concrete, practical and effective ways of reaching out to people in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace.
Kasaka said in an interview after the conference: “We have agreed that by the end of this year all members should launch the document. I am particularly happy that Malawi is a model in terms of coming up with an association of Catholic journalists and it came as a resolution that all member countries should form such an association.”
Africae Munus mentions the media as one of the agents of divisions in the region resulting in conflicts emanating from ethnicity, poverty, bad governance and socio-economic upheavals.
Other issues in Africae Munus are good governance of states, respect for creation and the ecosystem, protection of life, inculturation of the gospel and major areas of the apostolate which include the information communication and technology.
Pope Benedict XVI called for a second special assembly for bishops of Africa, popularly known as the Second African Synod for Bishops of Africa, with the theme: The Church at the service of reconciliation for justice and peace” held in Rome from 4th to 29th October 2009.
