Mr. Pompigne-Mognard said that it is time that the world knows what the Catholic Church is doing to improve the well-being of the people, and in the development of the African continent.
One way to do this, he said, is “to professionalize” the public relations of the Catholic Church in Africa by using public relations services utilized by other private and public entities.
He clarified that public relations is not about advertising, and added, “Public relations is only about editorial. It’s about press releases, interviews, press conferences, opinion pieces. It’s about getting in the news. It’s about getting media coverage.”
He quoted Pope Paul VI who said that the Church “would feel guilty before the Lord” if it failed to use the media for evangelization.
“Another Pope, Pope John Paul II, has called the media ‘the first Areopagus of the modern age’, and declared that ‘it is not enough to use the media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church's authentic teaching. It is also necessary to integrate that message into the ‘new culture' created by modern communications,’” the APO Group founder said, adding, “Doing that is all the more important today, since the media now strongly influence what people think about life.”
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
At ACI Africa, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news from Africa, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church - so that you can grow in your Catholic faith.
When you subscribe to the ACI Africa Updates, we will send you a daily email with links to the news you need.
Use the form below to stay informed, and to tell us where we can send the ACI Africa Updates!
As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Mr. Pompigne-Mognard acknowledged the space that the Catholic Church enjoys in commenting on all societal issues.
He said, “When it comes to the public relations of the Catholic Church in Africa, there is something I would like you to appreciate. You, the Catholic Church in Africa, are uniquely entitled to express your views on any single topic, from technology to climate change, from health to education.”
He said that the world is craving for guidance the Catholic Church has to offer, and added, “We live in a very confusing and troubled world and a lot of people are in need of values and spirituality in their lives.”
In his July 26 address, Mr. Pompigne-Mognard announced that APO Group will provide support across a broad range of public relations services, including the distribution of press releases, training of communications staff, and the facilitation of meetings with media and other organizations intended to raise the profile of the Catholic Church in Africa.
“APO Group is also providing Zoom licenses to the Catholic Church in Africa,” he told delegates of the 19th Plenary Assembly of SECAM taking place at GIMPA Conference Center in Accra.