A call has been made for the overhaul of the communication apostolate and apparatus of the Catholic Church in the country, to make it New Media compliant for better reach-out with the Good News of Christ. This contention was contained in the Resolutions adopted by delegates at the recently concluded third National Convention of Catholic Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAMPAN), held at the Sacred Heart Pastoral Centre, Jos, Plateau State.
The four-day programme which had The New Media and Evangelization in Nigeria: A Reflection as its theme was attended by about 60 delegates from all the nine Ecclesiastical Provinces of the Church in the country and the Resolutions adopted signed by Mr. Patrick Osu and Mr. Patrick Dada, President and Secretary of the association respectively.
Among other things, the delegates noted that while the teachings and doctrines of the Church remain constant and unchangeable, there is the need for the Church to positively maximize the use of the New Media for a more effective evangelization; especially in reaching out to the youths who are citizens of the digital age, and constitute 60 percent of the users of the social media and other means of modern communication technology.
The delegates, after deliberating on the presentations by the invited speakers, stressed the invaluable importance of the media and communication to the evangelization mission of the Church and the promotion of Christian values to facilitate an egalitarian, just and peaceful society, for the common good of all Nigerians.
While assuring of the commitment and dedication of members of CAMPAN to use their talents and professional competence to effectively reach-out with the Good News of Christ, using all available means and opportunities; the delegates called on the Church hierarchy “to organize trainings and refresher programmes for lay personnel working in the Directorate of Social Communications in our Archdioceses and dioceses, in the art of positively using the new media to promote evangelization”.
In order to enhance the communication apostolate of the Church in the country, the conference delegates suggested, among others, that: “Arch/dioceses should develop Pastoral Plans for evangelization and they should make social communications more effective and efficient in positively promoting the activities of the Catholic Church within and to the outside world; and evaluate the effectiveness of the communication tools and strategies and where necessary upgrade to current trend in all the Arch/dioceses..
