“Never let the ball drop in our journalistic role of interpreting and educating our faithful on the new rules that the World Health Organization and the respective governments and Bishops' Conferences continue to propose to mitigate this pandemic,” the Kenyan-born UCAP President says in the statement sent to ACI Africa.
UCAP leadership goes on to encourage Catholic journalists in Africa to take up the responsibility of identifying and exposing fake news about COVID-19 in the face of increasing misinformation and disinformation about the pandemic.
“As professional journalists, we compete to bring the ‘Prophets of Fake News’ to the public's attention,” UCAP leadership says and adds, “Armed with our Christian teachings, the Church is counting on us to demystify all the lies spread through social media by these ‘prophets’”
Despite COVID-19 challenges, UCAP leadership notes that “the year has not been in vain.”
“We have organized virtual sessions that brought together our members and other stakeholders,” Union’s Executive Council says.
The leadership recalls how the webinar conducted under the topic, ‘The role of new media in religious services during and after COVID-19’ “was skillfully discussed in English and French by a panel of presenters and upcoming participants from across the continent and around the world, including the Vatican, through its Dicastery for Social Communications.”
Describing the June 2020 webinar as “relevant” for Catholic journalists on the continent, UCAP leadership urges “every member in his/her small scale...to serve Mother Church in the best possible way during these difficult times.”
In the March 3 statement, UCAP leadership announces the holding of the UCAP Congress and General Assembly that was postponed last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“UCAP Togo has kindly accepted to host our Congress scheduled for August 2021,” the leadership of UCAP says in the statement and explains, “The Executive Council after a thorough consultation, decided to change the location of the congress to a city easily accessible by a majority of our members.”
“The exact dates and the specific venue will be communicated to you in due course,” UCAP officials further say, adding, “Let us all continue to pray that the whirlwind of COVID 19 will pass safely over each of us so that we can all come together as one family.”
