CHURCH IN AFRICA URGED TO EMBRACE NEW MEDIA AS TOOL FOR EVANGELISATION

The Chairman of the Social Communications Department of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Rt. Rev. Bernadin Mfumbusa, has challenged the Catholic Church to embrace new media technologies as a tool for evangelization. He was speaking recently when he addressed Catholic media practitioners drawn from the AMECEA region who met at St. Mary’s Spirituality Centre, Msimbazi-Dar-es-salaam, for a week-long “online reporting and journalism skills” training workshop.

Bishop Mfumbusa emphasised that the agents of evangelization must be conversant with new media technologies to avoid being left behind by the people whom they serve. "More and more people use social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Plus among others to exchange information and share knowledge. Facebook alone has 1 billion users and counting," he said.

Using new media technologies is no longer optional. “To exist in the information age,” he said,  “Is to be online.”

"Today many people consult Google or wikis for information rather than Catechists or parish priests. Actually, Google has become a sort of an oracle for information, so to speak," he added.

Bishop Mfumbusa, who is also the Bishop of Kondoa Diocese, in Tanzania, advocated for the promotion of digital literacy during priestly formation suggesting that Information Communication Technology (ICT) should be incorporated into  the seminary training.

AMECEA stands for Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. Member countries include Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Djibouti and Somalia are affiliate members.