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Nigerian Catholic Diocese to Translates Pope’s Message for 2024 World Day of Social Communications into Hausa

By Abah Anthony John

Jos, 11 May, 2024 / 11:45 pm (ACI Africa).

The Catholic Diocese of Lafia in Nigeria is to translate Pope Francis' Message for the 2024 World Day of Social Communications to be marked on May 12 this year into Hausa, one of the most commonly spoken languages in the West African Nation.

Speaking to ACI Africa on the sidelines of a Seminar, which Lafia Diocese organized for media professionals, members of the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON) and church Reporters, the Diocesan Director of Communication, Fr. Godwin Apesuu said that the decision to translate the message is to help people get insights into the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“As a people, our official languages of liturgy are two in Lafia Diocese, Hausa and English. It's even first Hausa and then English. We are a local church and given that we are a local church, most of our people understand Hausa more than the English language,” Fr. Apesuu said during the April 24 interview.

He explained, “We have already set up a committee that is working on translating the world communications day message of Pope Francis from English to Hausa to give our people a better understanding of the concept of Artificial Intelligence which is the theme for this year’s World Communications day celebration.”

The Nigerian Catholic Priest added, “It is expected by next week copies will be made available for the faithful in the Diocese to begin to read and digest the Hausa version of Pope Francis’ Message for the World Communications Day ahead of the May 12th date for the celebration of the 2024 World Communications day.”

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He disclosed that the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) through the National Directorate of Social Communications “has provided for us some materials regarding the Communication Week (COMWEEK), which we hope to capture in the Hausa translated pamphlet and then we share it to everybody so that even people who are not conversant or those who cannot speak English can read the Pope’s  message in the language they understand.”

“We're using this medium to tell our people that artificial intelligence has a positive side which they need to embrace for evangelization,” Fr. Apesuu  said.

The member of the Clergy of Lafia Diocese said the translation of the Holy Father’s message to Hausa language “was just one aspect of the preparation as the Diocese has organized a one day seminar for journalists, the Youths and Church reporters to help build their capacity in church reporting.”

“One of the things we plan doing is this Seminar we just had, to get our people abreast with the concept of artificial intelligence after being trained and also to get the necessary skills of news writing and reporting and how they can use the social media for evangelization and so become social media evangelizers for the Diocese,” he said.

Fr. Apesuu continued, “We have about 63 Parishes and some institutions. So, it's to get them together, get them trained, because when we train them, they will be able to report news from their various parishes.”

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The Nigerian Catholic Priest went on to decry security challenges the people of God in Lafia Diocese face since 2011; he called for government intervention. 

“The herdsmen crisis has been a serious challenge for us as a Diocese because being a local church, apart from the churches that are within the metropolis, most of our churches are in the bush. Most of our parishioners are farmers. That's their basic occupation,” he said.

Fr. Apesuu added, “We are still hoping that the government gives some intervention so that these destroyed churches can be rebuilt and then our people will continue to worship God there.”

Abah Anthony John

Abah Anthony John is a Nigerian Journalist with great enthusiasm and interest for Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria. He has vast experience in Print,  Electronic and Multi-Media Production.

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