At a time when many people use social media and the snappy language of the text message, the written press seems a bit outdated. I, myself, am totally immersed in the digital planet. I often feel ill-at-ease at the rapid flow of information. I like to see things in black and white. I like to develop a thought, word by word as I read through the lines, weighted words, chosen, appropriate to the given context.

As a editor, I made my first steps in journalism in the German missionary magazine, kontinente, the product of a consortium of more than 20 Missionary Institutes and then for the last ten years under the direction of missio Aachen. During my five years with kontinente, initially as an apprentice and then as the editor, I appreciated the written press as a way of speaking about the mission, of the Missionary Church, of our congregation and the values held by other people. Its appearance six times a year gave us the time to prepare well and deepen our research.

In Burundi from 2000 to 2002, I collaborated with the diocesan newsletters of Gitega and Ngozi. With the pastoral office of Gitega, we held a number of training sessions for laypeople who became “the parish correspondents” for the Church-family newsletter. Our motto was taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, “If there is need, say a kind and helpful word, that it may impart grace to those who listen to you” (Eph, 4, 29).

Nowadays, as the editor of the MSOLA magazine, Partage/Sharing Trentaprile, our aim is to promote an esprit de corps, pass on news of our lives, and introduce different generations to one another and to reflect as a congregation.

In my role as Archivist, I can draw on an invaluable treasure of publications of “Presse – Mission” such as the meetings of the Missionaries of Africa family (WF and WS) at Thy-le-Château in 1982 and to help researchers.

Rereading the key documents of the Church on Social Communications, the decree of Vatican II, Inter Mirifica (1963), the Pastoral Instruction, Communio et Progressio (1971) and Aetatis novae (1992), I find principles that are still valid today (and for any publication):

• The great need to form the conscience of producers and users.
• An appeal for discernment regarding what helps and what injures because of dishonesty.
• Provide the Catholic media with a place and voice for balanced information and critical dialogue

The Church considers that the written press has an important role to play: the written press “can go into detail when reporting the news. It can also comment on the news and, without boring the reader, interpret it in a way that makes the readers think for themselves. It is a most useful complement to the audio-visual means of communication. It is a most effective means of stimulating people’s critical faculties and of helping them form their own opinions. Since it is able to deal with such a variety of material and since it can so admirably encourage people to think, it has prime place in the promotion of social dialogue. (Communio et Progressio. 136).

“That part of the Catholic press which is of general interest publishes news and opinions and background articles about all the aspects and problems and worries of modern life.” (Communio et Progressio 138).

In a talk on ethics in the media, Ulrich Wilhelm, the CEO of Bayerischer Rundfunk a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, pleaded for ‘constructive journalism’ which now seems to be under threat from four tendencies namely: the individualisation of information, the flow of data, the speed of technology and, consequently, the loss of the ethical parameters and the responsibility for what is offered to the general public.

In the face of these tendencies, we need a new code of conduct for journalists and even an anthropological reflection. We need a new vision of the human person in society. What do we want with the information we receive, what do we want to do with it?

Facing these exigencies, we, who write for our institutes or for the friends of the mission and for the general public, can take on the role of translators which allows our readers to become aware of a reality that can sometimes be described as fluid and which can be hard to grasp and difficult to understand the direction it is taking.

And we do need a sense of where it is going! Because we always try to evaluate the reality that surrounds us, we cannot judge things once and for all. Our role could be that of an interpreter of reality in the light of the Gospel and of the teaching of the Church. To do this, it seems to me that the written press is the best way.

Pope Francis in his message for the World Day of Social Communications in 2017, proposes the following theme or motto, “Communicating hope and trust in our time” as the key to reading the signs of the times.

Sr Gisela Schreyer, SMNDA

A challenge

For some time now, technological progress and the expansion of social networks have profoundly modified world culture. For better or worse, whether we agree or not, whether we live in the north or the south, practically all of us have been impacted by these recent developments. In fact, it is practically impossible to exercise any social responsibility without an email address or without being in regular and rapid contact with collaborators or confreres. One of the consequences of this evolution is that it contributes to the acceleration of activities in the world, which is one of the characteristics of the postmodern world (Cf. the excellent study of Hartmunt Rosa, Social Acceleration: A new theory of modernity. Columbia University Press 2013). Young people, (but not exclusively so), are impatient and under pressure to keep up to date in what interests them (which can be a bit narcissistic). Various Media organisations keep sending “alerts” concerning the latest explosions in the world or the retirement of a famous footballer. Sometimes we allow ourselves be trapped by all this. Some people leave their phone on continuously so as to be directly informed and to be able to reply as quickly as possible no matter what time of the day or night.

There are real advantages to being connected. We saw it during the 2016 Chapter where, more than ever, confreres were kept regularly informed and could follow, for example, the day of recollection in real time. Apart from these special occasions, there is a whole area of the management of congregations, which is dependent on these networks, emails, messaging, texting not to mention Facebook, WhatsApp and others. The confreres, including Superiors, are much better informed today about what is happening in the Society. When there is an important document to share, or elections to be organised, the use of social networks have become normal. This facilitates closeness and an esprit de corps plus the fact that one can be sure that all documents have arrived safely even if many do not read them (our web site)!

Consequences for pastoral work

These advantages can also apply to pastoral work. At the time of the Chapter, the media segment was addressed by a specialist who encouraged us to read “The Social Media Gospel, Sharing the Good News in New Ways” by Meredith Gould (Liturgical Press , Minnesota). Using her experience and expertise, she examines all the modern electronic communication tools and assesses their advantages and disadvantages in the management of parish pastoral work. A priori, this is difficult to apply directly to Africa where social network coverage is still limited. However, she demonstrates that it is becoming more and more difficult to stay up to date with pastoral activities without knowledge of these new languages. Young Catholics working outside of the traditional ecclesiastical networks are in the forefront of these new developments (#PitchMyChurch 2 concerns the phenomenon of Catholic start-ups, which offers such things as accommodation, liturgy, prayer, donations, help to the homeless… For the second consecutive year, these young innovators of mobile applications or Christian internet sites met in Paris on the 3rd February 2017 to meet and share their ideas. Dioceses are getting more and more interested in their proposals, although they were frightened of them initially).

In this respect, we could refer to Cardinal Lavigerie’s insistence on the study of the language and customs of people to whom we are sent. It will soon become impossible to be engaged in pastoral work for youth without mastering these new languages and that includes Africa (at least in the cities). The Chapter committed itself to make the confreres more open to the media, even to get to like it. However, this should not be seen as an encouragement to get addicted to it as it can also act as a parasite in community life (Cf. Capitular Acts, 3.3. Media and Social Networks, P. 30).

Good News for today

The vocation of a Christian is to be a communicator because of their Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were taught first of all, and then they became apostles and so communicators of the Good News. This is not an optional extra. It is not a question of being aggressive or acting as a conqueror but of evangelising. This begins by loving and respecting those to whom one is addressing. And that goes beyond direct apostolic work. It involves a commitment to Christian websites. Pope Benedict XVI was not enthusiastic initially for the rapid, brief, partial and often superficial communications of social media. Yet in 2011, he said, “I would like to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of which the digital era has made possible. This is not enough to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this is an integral part of human life.” (Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age, June 5, 2011. Message of Benedict XVI for the 45th World Day for Social Communication.) As for Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia (278), he made a suggestion to families, which we could take on board in our communities, “The educational process that occurs between parents and children can be helped or hindered by the increasing sophistication of the communications and entertainment media. When well used, these media can be helpful for connecting family members who live apart from one another. Frequent contacts help to overcome difficulties. Still, it is clear that these media cannot replace the need for more personal and direct dialogue, which requires a physical presence or at least hearing the voice of the other person. We know sometimes that they can keep people apart rather than together as when at dinnertime everybody is surfing on a mobile phone…This is also something that families have to discuss and resolve in ways that encourage interaction without imposing unrealistic prohibitions.”

Vigilance…

I would like to finish by highlighting some areas that need vigilance. Firstly, we should not allow ourselves be invaded and seduced by the easy availability of small screens all around us. The danger is to limit our world to this type of information. We should be aware that a good proportion of the information on these networks is false and difficult to detect. Neither, should we ask other people to do our thinking for us. Short sharp reports do not give the critical elements for a JPIC action for example, even if the images are important. These medias are also very time consuming and there are confreres who do not even read a serious book to the end throughout the entire year (This is the big challenge for ongoing formation!). We become prey to opinion and rumours (reputation of confreres) and our messages can be sadly superficial. Apart from a legitimate right to relax from time to time, the question is, which should concern us: does my use of these tools allow me to proclaim the Good News in a better way and to help and unite the people entrusted to me? That is why we are missionaries. May the Spirit of discernment find a small place in my personal network to get His message to them!

Bernard Ugeux, M.Afr.

A short time ago, I posted a little video on YouTube which was produced by a confrere. I was quickly informed by the YouTube platform that the video contained audio material (music) protected by copyright. Consequently, in most countries, some advertising would have to be included in the video so as to compensate for the royalties due, while in countries where breaches of copyright were treated more severely, the video would simply not be available on YouTube. Continue reading “Internet, a modern – bazaar (PE nr. 1081)”

The 28th General Chapter made us more aware that as missionaries today we are called to proclaim the Gospel in a world and in an Africa that are constantly changing. For this reason, the Chapter desired to see our Society become more creative in its ways of proclaiming the Kingdom of God to be able to reach out to as many people as possible.

Language or means of communication in general, are key elements in proclaiming God’s Kingdom. Communication constitutes a sector that has tremendously evolved in the last decades. As Missionaries of Africa, we know the importance of the instructions of our Founder, Cardinal Lavigerie, concerning the learning of languages ​​and traditions of the people to whom we are sent. Learning the language is the sine qua non for Encounter which, for us, is understood as the essence of the Mission Ad Gentes.

The Chapter reaffirmed the importance of language learning in the missionary Africa tradition. It reiterated the need for us to remain faithful to this practice which allowed our predecessors to be close to people and which today tends to be done in a somewhat random and shortened way. With this tradition, we can and must, as a Society, prepare ourselves to be missionaries in the new “numerical continent” whose language is digital (see AC 2016, 3.3).

In the past, drums were used in Africa to communicate over long distances and messengers were also sent. Today people send an SMS, a WhatsApp message, a tweet, etc. , As a Society, if we want to be more effective in communication, we can no longer ignore these new means of communication and continue as if things were the same. We will surely gain by learning to use these new forms of communication in Mission.  Perhaps we will succeed in reaching out to those we no longer manage to encounter through our traditional structures. Through social media, we might also be able to share with a wider audience the values for which we have dedicated ourselves to the service of the Kingdom of God and to the African world.

As individuals, many of us already use one or other means of social communication for personal purposes. It’s high time everyone started to do so it if we want to access the new “digital continent”. This would not only make it easier for us to communicate news amongst ourselves, but, it would also help us to be present for mission in a world that is now becoming accessible at many people’s fingertips on computer screens, tablets and smartphones. Smartphones break when people don’t take good care of them, if you need to repair your smartphone contact the best mobile phone repair near me.

There is a felt urgency to adopt new approaches to meeting our contemporaries. In September 2013, in his address to the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Pope Francis launched a challenge to Christians to help “rediscover, through the means of social communication as well as by personal contact, the beauty that is at the heart of our existence and journey, the beauty of faith and the beauty of the encounter with Christ”.

The Chapter has invited us to take up this challenge. It proposed organizing training programmes at all levels, making use of specialized lay people where necessary. As far as the Media and Social Networks are concerned, it further called for the building of bridges between those confreres who like this sort of things and those who don’t (AC 2016 n ° 3.3). These are proposals which almost all the Provinces took to heart during the Post-Capitular assemblies. We all have the responsibility to ensure that all this does not remain just words.

We are aware of the many people who seek spiritual nourishment on social media. For us Missionaries of Africa, we must ask ourselves what we actually propose to this “digital continent.” What should we say about our charism, our spirituality and our identity? This is a challenge that requires us to be creative. The Chapter went a long way in calling us to explore the possibilities of creating a digital application specific to ourselves. It is a challenge for the youngest among us to put their digital talents at the service of the Mission.

Despite its importance, social media remains a permanent challenge and using it obviously invites discernment. Through social media, it is always our identity as apostles and our charism that we should seek to live and reflect. Cardinal Lavigerie instructed us to “be apostles and nothing but apostles”. A starting point might be to look at how we present ourselves as apostes on our Facebook pages, on our blogs etc. As apostles, we should always seek to live and to reflect our apostolic identity through our use of the Social Media with the purpose of bringing others to encounter Christ.

Thanks to digital applications, it has become possible to remain connected among ourselves! We share news more easily. There are social platforms that unite confreres of the same country, same year of formation, etc. In recent months, the General Council has created its own WhatsApp group! This allows sharing of the same information at the same time when Council members are travelling. For some time now, confreres also maintain personal blogs. While these initiatives may remain timid, it should be acknowledged that they are big steps towards more important commitments in the use of Social Media for mission.

Stanley Lubungo
Superior General

Media – Social Networking is one of the themes of the 28th General Chapter. It is the subject of this issue of the Petit Echo (N° 5). Actually, our reflection is concerned with the role that the media and social networks can and should play in our evangelising activities. As Missionaries of Africa, no matter where we are, we are “apostles.” This being so, how can we live this fundamental aspect of our missionary life, even in our daily communications with others?

Certainly, we are not thinking of inciting people to “proselytise” in all directions in all our communications, even those of a social character. But knowing that social networks have become a place of excessive permissiveness that risks dehumanizing those who indulge in it without any discernment, how, then, can I put my stamp on it given that I am an apostle? How can we transmit Gospel values in our communications even outside the institutional framework of our official apostolate! We are apostles 24/7! The Chapter of 2016 made concrete proposals on the subject of the media; maybe it is just the moment to have a closer look at them.

Freddy Kyombo, M.Afr.