SECAM Celebrating ACI Africa at 5: Heads in Heaven with Feet Firmly on the Ground

On the occasion of the 5th Anniversary Celebration of the Association for Catholic Information in Africa (ACI Africa), August 9, 2024, at JJ MacCarthy Centre, Riverside Drive, Nairobi Kenya, Most Reverend Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, Bishop of Oyo and President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communication (CEPACS), presented a keynote address.

Below is the address of the Head of CEPACS, the communication department of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Below is the address of the Head of CEPACS, the communication department of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

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Celebrating ACI Africa at 5: Heads in Heaven with Feet Firmly on the Ground

A keynote address by Most Reverend Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo,

Your Excellency, Bishop Wallace Ng’ang’a, Auxilliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Nairobi and Chairman, Commission for Social Communication, Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB)

Your Excellencies, Mr. George Wirncka, EWTN Africa Director for Marketing, 

Rev Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Director and members of Association for Catholic Information, (ACI) Africa,

Members of the EWTN family,

The Media Fraternity,

Distinguished guests here present,

 

It is a great honour and pleasure for me here today to represent the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, (SECAM) and specifically its President, His Eminence, Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu, the archbishop of Kinshasa. I give this keynote address as President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communication (CEPACS) the committee that represents SECAM in the communication apostolate of the Church in Africa to mark this auspicious occasion of the 5th anniversary celebration of ACI Africa, which has in these years, emerged as a jewel of the communication apostolate of the Church in Africa. I bring you warm sentiments of congratulations and goodwill from all whom I represent here as Special Guest.

ACI: The Journey Down Here

Distinguished guests, five years in the life of any organization may sound indeed like only a short time. However, when the objectives for which that entity was established have been largely well centred as in the case of ACI then celebration, even at 1 year old, is acceptable if not altogether expedient.

The launch of ACI Africa, formalized on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of 2019 has turned out to be a momentous event for the Church. The Pioneer Editor-in-Chief, Rev Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla who facilitated its take-off, had previously garnered valuable experience as editor-in-chief of the Catholic News Agency for Africa (CANAA), a news agency established and sponsored by SECAM which was going through tough times. For good fortune, ACI was set up as a news network of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), founded by Mother Angelica, PCPA, in 1981 which by then had become a formidable network having existed for 28 years. That experience counted well for ACI. I applaud and thank EWTN which currently is the largest Catholic media apostolate in the world with Its various media outlets (TV channels, Radio networks, publishing, news and digital media presence) reaching more than 435 million homes in 160 countries and territories.

Within these five eventful years ACI Africa has made good progress, reporting events in Africa and its islands from a Catholic perspective, in English and French, and looking to do so soon in Portuguese, thus catering to the three official language groups of SECAM. It is heartwarming to know that since its foundation, ACI has published more than 11,000 stories for evangelization and information of God’s people with a strong presence and followership on the social media.

By the time ACI Africa was launched, the Church in Africa had longed for a news platform that could realize SECAM’s vision articulated during the establishment of CEPACS in 1973 at Ibadan, Nigeria, which one could say, represented the formal launching of the communication apostolate in Africa. That vision, updated at the 1994 Synod of Bishops for Africa in 1994, demanded that the Church in Africa should coordinate its media activity, pursue organic pastoral solidarity and project the identity and spirit of the Church as Family of God. These same sentiments have been upgraded and updated at different occasions to date. The general assembly of CEPACS, held during its 50th anniversary in November 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria, alluded to that fact in its final recommendations highlighting the importance of “Recognizing the noble role of social communication in deepening faith and advancing the spirit of the Synod on Synodality in the continent”.

In other words, the Church desired media entities which would support its evangelization mission, project its pastoral profile as Family of God, and promote a healthy synodal exchange in the Church all over the continent while “helping Africa to tell her own story” to the world.

I congratulate EWTN and all its visionaries who by establishing ACI Africa, acknowledged the importance of the testimony and pastoral experience of the Church in Africa and so, invested commendably in amplifying the voice of the Church here. The validity of that decision is clearly manifested in the contribution of  Africa to the ongoing process of the Synod on Synodality, its witness to the sanctity of life and the sacrament of marriage, not to mention the importance of bringing cherished African values of solidarity and the joy of living to the entire world.

ACI: As Things Are Today

The work of ACI, freely reporting information from Catholic dioceses, institutions, religious leaders, priests, religious and the lay faithful, from Africa to the entire world has greatly enhanced the exposure and awareness of the work and life of the Church in Africa. It has encouraged and inspired numerous pastoral agents and the faithful, who now know that news about the simple evangelizing and pastoral activities they engage in at the very grassroots can reach any part of the world.

ACI, as the flagship catholic news agency in Africa thus already supports the objective of the Synod on synodality about the faithful moving together more in participation, communion and mission. I have heard it said can that the means of media distribution can change but good journalism, cannot change. I am delighted to say that ACI has improved both the means and content of good catholic journalism in these five years. Again, I say kudos to the editor in chief and his collaborators.

I daresay that the vision of the founder of ACI Prensa, in Lima, Peru, the Combonian missionary Fr. Adalbert Marie Mohm, has been realized even in the Church in Africa. Fr Mohm’s vision was to have a flow of Catholic news to the secular world and increase the visibility of the Catholic Church in the public square to help it serve the Church’s mission. Thank God for ACI Africa and I pray with the prayer of the Synod: “May the Holy Spirit teach us the way we must go from now onwards, and how we are to pursue this vision” (Ad sumus).

Striving for a Better Future

Let me now contribute two important perspectives to this anniversary rendezvous. First, I ask that we remind ourselves that without communication, there is no evangelization and there is no Church because communication is constitutive to the proclamation of the Gospel and the mission of the Church. This unassailable truth endures even in the three main concepts of the overall theme of the Synod on Synodality, namely: communion, participation and mission. Secondly, I want to draw our attention to the call of the Synod itself that the Church should become an impactful Christian presence in the digital space. It is my hope that in doing so, I will contribute something to the road map and sustainability of a future vision for ACI in Africa.

1. The Divine, Communication, and the Mission of the Church

There is a famous quote attributed to Karl Rahner (1904-2004), one of the great Catholic theologians of the 20th century, which says: “In the days ahead, you will either be a mystic or nothing at all.”[1] Rahner is not talking about a mystic as someone enclosed in a monastery, but a baptized person who experiences God in the real ordinary life. It is a man or woman who is conscious of God’s presence in day-to-day life, a baptized person who is aware that there is a constant communication between the Divine and the human person. This Divine reality is the one who makes communication a constitutive element to the happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction of His creature, the human being. When the human being is communicating with God in love, we call that prayer, it really means that the two are in communion.

The implications of Rahner’s theology of communication in the first place, is that before the human being’s desire to communicate with God, there is God’s desire to communicate with his creatures. The essence of God’s communication is thus, his love for humanity (John 3:17). That is why, communication does not take place in a vacuum but in a context; in what is happening in real life; around us and within us.

The Instrumentum Laboris for the second session of the XVI Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, argues that even during the synodal journey which started in October 2021, we must believe that God has always been in conversation with the Church – the people of God. Even in moments when the synodal journey exposed us to painful experiences, God was with his people. Thus, we find this passage:

Through his Church, guided by his Spirit, the Lord wants to rekindle hope in the hearts of humanity, restore joy and save all, especially those whose faces are stained with tears and who cry out to Him in anguish. Their cries reach the ears of all Christ’s disciples, men and women who walk in the depths of human affairs.

In this regard the iconic opening words of Gaudium Et Spes also inspire the Church:

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.

This means that God whose very nature is love, would stop at nothing, He will employ every bit of His creation to communicate Himself at any moment so much that a human being who grows in close union with him through prayer, discovers the Divine presence in every facet of the human experience – in grief or anxiety, joy or sorrow, poverty or riches, hope or despair.[2]

Does this say anything to Catholic media houses and communicators? Of course, yes! In fact, Rahner helps to highlight the relevance and meaning of human communication in the context of our faith and ministry in the Church. In this world, the Church is expected to champion authentic communication in the footsteps of Christ the Perfect Communicator, whose mission was to teach all about the Good News and the Kingdom of God.[3]. With the background of this understanding, the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Lumen Gentium, says of the mission of the Church:

Since the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race, it desires now to unfold more fully to the faithful of the Church and to the whole world its own inner nature and universal mission.[4]

Here, the Theology of Communication underlines the task and urgency of transmitting the Gospel. There we find an imperative for Church communicators, to enter into authentic relationship with God so that they can communicate with God and about God, from their personal experience and knowledge, to his people especially the marginalized.

What happens when a Church communicator or media house does not establish such a relationship with God? Without that personal relationship with God, a Church communicator can only become a danger to the people of God; a ‘Number 1’ cause of misinformation and disinformation; an atheist whose work becomes identical to the scaffolds at the Babel Tower construction site. Such a Church media house or communicator simply cannot inspire hope or bear witness to the mysterious presence of God among His people.

2. Doing Our Mission in the Digital Space II

In the past 3 years, the journey of Synodality has highlighted the fact that the Church does not only have a mission in the world; rather, that her very nature is mission. The Church exists in order to announce and witness the Gospel to those who do not know it, “with a preferential option for the poor, rooted in the mission of Christ.[5] In this mission, the Synod insists that this is a shared responsibility among lay men and lay women, those in consecrated life, and ordained ministers, each according to their charisms and vocation, nourished by the Holy Spirit. Aware that communication is a work largely undertaken by the laity, the understanding is that it is everybody’s responsibility, through the communication platforms, to connect the people with God, just as the ordained ministers and the Consecrated men and women do through other apostolates.

The Primary Agents of the Task

In carrying out this task the institutions, Catholic media houses, groups, associations and especially the academics, professionals and practitioners like those under the banner of SIGNIS Africa and other Christian partners have huge competence and responsibility. They must work together and indeed be a huge asset for the message of the Gospel and the mission of the Church. The ultimate goal is to evangelize the global media space with Christian and human values and ethics. Some days ago, ACI solicited my reaction to the parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting, “The   Last Supper” at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games in France. The president of Signis Africa, Professor Walter Ihejirika latched onto my reaction and recommended it to the Catholic Communicators under the aegis of Signis.  ACI too made a good story out of it. Both initiatives propelled the apologetics onto many channels globally as an African voice on the controversy. It did not go unnoticed. This is a positive example of what collaboration could do for the Gospel and Church Leaders on matters of religious relevance.

I am thankful for such collaboration which is already functional between SECAM and the APO group, owned by a Catholic entrepreneur, Mr. Nicholas Pompine. The APO Group is the leading pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service which has for 3 years now offered worldwide coverage for African Church stories and events and provided training sessions for African catholic communicators in modern media skills. Such synergy and collaboration should bring ACI to work even more in the purview and vision of the Dicastery for Communication and boost the growing communication apostolate in Africa. I commend a similar development especially in Signis Africa which is now preparing to host a Signis Congress in Kigali Rwanda in 2026. It is the first time the African Continent is hosting this global event, veritable evidence that the apostolate is making positive progress in Africa. The Signis World event will bring top media professionals from all over the world to experience Africa in her pastoral diversity and richness. I call on EWTN, our longstanding partner, ACI, and the APO Group to collaborate with Signis Africa in hosting this historic World Congress. What a powerful, wonderful asset such a Catholic media platform would be for pastoral communication in this era of Synodality!

Towards Full Presence

This role of the Catholic media in communication is even more urgent now in this digital environment which has changed our perception of many things including the perception of time, space, our bodies and interpersonal relationships.[6] This digital environment is a new frontier for the Church, and can be better understood only by listening to and working with the young people, the Gen Zee, who have the profound experience of growing and living in it. I see this as a concern also for ACI in sourcing for content, relevant to this generation. Signis Africa is already making  some effort in training and motivating young citizen journalists among the youth for collaboration in evangelization.

Thankfully, the Dicastery for Communication, in an important document issued less than 2 years ago entitled “Towards Full Presence: A pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Digital Media”, gave guidelines on ethical considerations related to the Social Media and the engagement of Catholics within that space to prioritize authentic communication as self-giving in love. Such an exercise must aim at the primacy of the truth as the document states:

To communicate truth, we must first make sure that we are conveying truthful information; not only in creating content but also in sharing it. We must make sure that we are a trusted source. To communicate goodness, we need quality content, a message that is oriented to help, not to harm; to promote positive action, not to waste time in useless discussions. To communicate beauty, we need to make sure that we are communicating a message in its entirety, which needs the art of contemplation – an art that enables us to see a reality or an event linked to many other realities and events [7]

These valuable perspectives must colour the work of ACI in providing and circulating authentic content for engagement with the digital media, too. ACI can thus help the faithful, especially the youths to become community-building content co-creators, less concerned with personal agenda and interest on the Digital space as proposed by the dicastery.[8] In reality, it is necessary for catholic media like ACI to be more daring about proposing ethical considerations on the Digital Media and generating content to draw attention to the issue.[9] A good lead can be taken from the words of the Prefect for the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication, Dr Paolo Ruffini when he called for the Church to take a leading role in shaping the ethical framework for artificial intelligence (AI), when he spoke recently at the Philippines’ 7th National Catholic Social Communications Convention.

Obviously, doing mission in the digital environment is still a challenge for us in the African Church communication. Many Church leaders and personnel still need support and training to function well at this level. The internet, the social media and all digital communication platforms have a great potential to improve people’s lives if harnessed by the Church. Thus, the Synod has insisted that it is an urgent need to consider how we can support the young people, but also families, and ensure that the online space is not only safe but also spiritually life-giving.”[10] In this regard, we are reminded of the need to avoid individualistic, exploitative tendencies which are encouraged by the virtual platforms. Instead, the Church must promote human interaction, collaboration, pooling and sharing of resources, and above all, working together for the mission of the Church. This, in my view is an urgent charge for all Catholic Media and media professionals.

We must also consider the type of content which the Catholic media platforms give priority to. In this regard, Bishop Patrick Kalilombe said, “We cannot ignore the legitimate demands of those who finance the media, nor can we afford to neglect the tastes and expectations of the audience,[11] especially the poor. In fact, the Instrumentum Laboris says that the Synod has revealed the need to recognize diversity and plurality as opportunities of exchange of gifts in one Church that is united under the Petrine ministry.[12] In a recent keynote address to Signis Africa, on the implications of Synodality for communication I invited Catholic Communicators to review the personalities to whom they offer (their pens, microphones and lenses) coverage in a bid to uncover the authentic, comprehensive voice and experience of the entire Church and be true to the spirit of the synod about carrying along those at the margins.[13] These must include precisely, the youth, women, the unlettered at the margins either by solicitation or commissioning.

For emphasis, while we must integrate digital technologies in Church communication, we also need to identify the dangers they hold, lest we find ourselves to be enemies of authentic human communication and align with a situation where modernity and pluralism become identical to neglect of the promotion of spiritual values of the Catholic faith and African cultures.

Conclusion

In concluding, I want to return to what has brought us together today, the 5th anniversary of the foundation of ACI Africa. Nobody can ignore the impact and growth of ACI in such a short span of time. We must thank God for all that. Bravo, and keep it up! Nobody can ignore the professional touch in your online news and the aesthetic outlook of your news platform. Keep going! Nobody can undermine the richness of ACI online in terms of variety of news from across Africa. However, as it is often said, the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement! So, I ask you, to roll up your sleeves as there is still work to do. I am aware that you too have your numerous challenges, I would be surprised if you did not, but God will show you how to overcome them with faith and perseverance and SECAM will do whatever it can to contribute to solving them in the coming years.

In this modest address I have expressed appreciation and felicitations to ACI Africa for these 5 wonderful years. I have also asked us to recall that communication without God in the heart of the communicator becomes devoid of the divine which is a constitutive element to the profession and media ministry in the Church. Finally, I have proposed a few things to take note of as the future unfolds in ACI’s effort to enrich the Synodal process while projecting the life of the Church in Africa. Therefore, let us strive to become ‘Mystic but contemporary Communicators’ so that our communication ministries are marked by God’s love and passion for the mission which Christ left us who are now the “digital missionaries”, disciples in the digital environment. Like authentic saints, I urge all connected with ACI Africa to, in the years ahead: “Have your heads in heaven but your feet firmly planted here on the ground”.

Thank you for listening/reading.

Long Live ACI Africa!

Long Live EWTN

Long Live the Catholic Church!

 

By Most Reverend Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo,

Bishop of Oyo and President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communication (CEPACS), the communication department of SECAM.

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NOTES

[1] Robert Choiniere. The Engaged Parish, 2024, p. 25ff.

[2] Vatican Council II. Gaudium et Spes: Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, 1965, #1.

[3] Patrick Kalilombe. The Theology of Communication. Published in African Ecclesial Review, vol. XV, 1973, p.205.

[4] Vatican Council II. Lumen Gentium, #1.

[5] General Secretariat of Synod on Synodality. Synthesis Report for the First Session of the XVI Synod of Bishops, chapter 8b.

[6] Synthesis Report, Chapter 17.

[7] Dicastery for Social Communication, Towards Full Presence: A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement With Social Media, No 66.

[8] Towards Full Presence, 67-68.

[9] Only last week a Business program on Nigerian National Television reported that the European Commission has made the first laws and regulations for different types of Artificial Intelligence depending on how risky they are. And contravention can attract sanction of up to 7 percent of the global assets of those business companies. That is stiff penalty, which shows a growing awareness, even in the business world to checkmate the risks of rampaging Artificial Intelligence, despite its advantages. 

[10] Synthesis Report, Chapter 17f.

[11] Patrick Kalilombe, p.302.

[12] Instrumentum Laboris II, 80-88, 95-99.

[13] The preparatory document of the Synod on Synodality said: “The proclamation of the Gospel is not addressed only to an enlightened or chosen few. Jesus’ interlocutor is the “people” of ordinary life, the “everyone” of the human condition, whom he puts directly in contact with God’s gift and the call to salvation. In a way that surprises and sometimes scandalizes the witnesses, Jesus accepts as interlocutors all those who emerge from the crowd” (Preparatory Document no. 18)