Africa’s Catholic Journalists have been urged to Foster “better and appropriate” Reporting on Migrants, Refugees in our African world and beyond. This was contained in a report made available to our Correspondent based in Maputo, Mozambique. He reported that all the

Catholic journalists in Africa wand beyond ill do well to steer off news negativity on migrants and refugees and instead have them portrayed in “a better and appropriate” manner, Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa of the Catholic Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania has appealed.

Speaking during the March 25-28 workshop for Catholic journalists in Maputo, Mozambique, that the African region of the World Catholic Association for Communication, SIGNIS Africa, organised in collaboration with the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (DPIHD), Bishop Mfumbusa alluded to the practice of constructive journalism, and challenged Africa’s Catholic communicators to adopt a language that recognizes the humanity of migrants and refugees.

“The digital media has implications on the reportage of migrants and refugees, and as journalists, you have the obligation to change the narrative and portray these people in a better and appropriate (light),” he has been quoted as saying in the Thursday, March 27 Vatican News report.

The Tanzanian Catholic Bishop highlighted bias, disinformation, and misinformation as what characterises media reports on migrants and refugees. He challenged Catholic journalists to foster constructive journalism that goes beyond negativity to include positive elements, including solutions to the challenge.

In his presentation titled, “Communicative dimensions of the Church’s vision of migrants from an African perspective,” Bishop Mfumbusa recognized the significant role digital media platforms play in shaping public opinion and advocated for responsible journalism practice. He encouraged the development of African Christian narratives shaped by the philosophy of communal well-being, interconnectedness, and compassion that define humanity, saying, “Formulate African Christian narratives that are influenced by Ubuntu in your coverage of migrants and refugees.”

He underscored the need for Catholic journalists to give migrants and refugees a human face, dignity, and integrity.

In his presentation, the Tanzanian Catholic Bishop, who specialized in communication in his further studies identified economic hardship, human trafficking, organized crime, and environmental pressures as key drivers of migration.

In his opening remarks at the Maputo event, the President of SIGNIS Africa, Fr. Walter Chikwendu Ihejirika outlined the broader mission of the African region of the World Catholic Association for Communication in relation to the Church’s role in media and communication.

Fr. Walter said that SIGNIS Africa draws its vision from the global mission of SIGNIS, which seeks to work with media practitioners and support Catholic communicators in transforming cultures through the Gospel.

He explained that the May 25 to 28 event was inspired by the belief that communication serves as a central force in every society. “The mass media is viewed as the hub of the wheel, connecting the various spokes that support it,” he said.

The member of the Clergy of Nigeria’s Ahiara Catholic Diocese said that the March 25-28 Maputo workshop was a follow up of the 2023 workshop that took place in Kampala, Uganda.

The member of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) expressed gratitude to the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) for their partnership in realizing the workshops.

The partnerships have strengthened the Catholic Church’s capacity for digital evangelization in the global South, the President of SIGNIS Africa said.

Day: March 30, 2025

CATHOLIC JOURNALISTS IN AFRICA CAUTIONED

Recent Posts

Recowas on YouTube

Upcoming Events