Social Communication of CBCI Explores Ways to Improve Websites

August 26, 2011: Chairman of the Social Communications Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal svd urged the need to take seriously the task of making communication more effective to serve church and society. He said the internet and websites are great opportunities, and we ought to utilize them instead of bemoaning that media do not give us adequate coverage.
Bishop Chacko was addressing the Regional Secretaries of Social Communications from the 13 CBCI regions and Secretaries of national offices of the CBCI held at a meeting held at the CBCI Centre in New Delhi.

The 3-day meeting which ended on 20^th August, was convened to study ways to strengthen information sharing after the launch of the new CBCI website. The participants studied the draft of the website policy and guidelines for developing websites in parishes, dioceses and national centers and offices. Secretary, CBCI Office of Social Communication Fr. George Plathottam who presented these drafts urged the regional secretaries to periodically review the websites in the dioceses of their respective regions, and to help the dioceses to launch, improve and professionalize their websites.
Addressing the participants of the 3-day meeting, CBCI Secretary General Archbishop Albert D’Souza underlined the need to foster greater collaboration and networking among the diocesan, regional and national bodies of the CBCI. Sharing of news and information is a concrete expression of this collaboration, he pointed out.

Fr. Thomas Aquino d’ Sequeira, CBCI Deputy Secretary General, urged the Regional Social Communication Secretaries to actively collaborate with the Regional Secretariats and other Commissions and national offices and centers, particularly with regard to strengthening the websites and sharing of information, news and documentation.