Nepal joins SIGNIS

(October 21, 2011) Nepal became the first predominantly Hindu nation to join the Church’s global communications body SIGNIS during a gathering of the group’s Asian assembly in the Nepali capital Kathmandu this week. The assembly unanimously endorsed Nepal’s membership on Thursday, the first meeting of the three-day event attended by representatives from 19 Asian countries and six delegates from Nepal. Chirendra Satyal, an organizer for the event, said membership for the country was an important step in the evolution of the country’s media and communications sectors. “This means Nepal can directly network with members of other countries and our young people can get better access to Catholic institutions in other countries, which offer training in social communications.” Satyal, a journalist and secretary of the country’s Catholic media commission, said Christian media faces significant challenges in the country. Christian media in Nepal is mainly understood as non-Catholic. Satyal noted that though Protestants operate FM radio stations and produce films and video, and even run small communications centres, they find it difficult to enter the largely secular mainstream with professional productions. He added that the Catholic Church “is still struggling even in the field of print media and is challenged to start a national communication centre and train committed Catholics in the field.”