Middle East Church Communications: face the challenge

The Catholic Church in Lebanon hosted a four day Communications seminar April 17-20^th organized by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. The Council’s President, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli told Vatican Radio that Eastern Catholic Patriarchs, Bishops and communicators from different Catholic rites met in Harissa, Lebanon to discuss the role and challenges of Christian media in the Middle East. The following comment comes from the Lebanese Catholic television station, Tele Lumiere regarding that seminar:
"Along the seminar, field visits were important to experience and witness the true work of the Church’s communication in the digital age through one of the most powerful tools, Tele Lumiere and Noursat Network.
The network which will be celebrating its 22nd anniversary this Pentecost, is the first and only catholic television and satellite network in the Middle East. As a value oriented media , that can influence and transform society through promoting human dignity, justice and reconciliation, Tele lumiere and Noursat network has advanced immensely with the ‘digital age’.
The group was welcomed by the board of directors, presided by Bishop Roland Abou Jaoude, as well as the network’s family and friends.
After the opening prayer with Monsignor Celli, a brief historical introduction was given by Dr Antoine Saad general secretary, recalling the most important moments of the network and its role.
“ The use of information technology to communicate the faith” was an important theme in the visit, explored by the network’s general director Mr Jacques Kallassi who explained that in response to the Pope’s call to “enable God’s message to walk the virtual highways of cyberspace”, the network will be shortly launching a new digital platform enabling viewers around the world to be connected 24 hours with the Church’s news , programs, messages using the latest interactive technologies at the service of the Church.
The visit was an occasion to announce the upcoming launch of new digital services targeting especially the young “digital natives”. Mr Kallassi , also announced that “ The network which is currently broadcasting online through live streaming technologies, will shortly start the mobile television service, with its own programs and with new format of programs created to cope with the rapidly changing landscape of digital media and information technology, as well as the use of i-phones and i-pad applications, and all state of the art media”
Monsignor Celli encouraged the network to face the important challenges faced by the Church itself in the world, and to continue this mission of evangelization, dialogue, and peace in this difficult region.
At the end of the visit the Tele Lumiere’s Institute for Discipleship and Witness to Jesus was inaugurated, as a new ecumenical institution offering new tools of evangelization and faith."