African communicators hope Jubilee will help restructure media strategies
By Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
As the first event for the year-long Jubilee of Hope targeting communicators across the world is fast approaching, dozens of media professionals are set to travel to Rome in their roles as directors of national offices from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region.
Following the , on media of social communications and the pastoral directive in 1971, AMECEA bishops organized a meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1973 to assess how to implement the decree.
“50 years down the line, it is time to rethink those strategies in the context where digital technologies have dominated the field of communication,” according to Fr. Andrew Kaufa, AMECEA’s coordinator for social communications.
Jubilee visit to strengthen AMECEA communicators
The ordinary 2025 Jubilee, themed “Pilgrims of Hope,” provides an opportunity for various groups in the Church to increase their way of evangelization.
Speaking to Pope, Fr. Kaufa said the Jubilee offers the AMECEA conferences the opportunity to “raise awareness among the bishops and national coordinators of communication on the new trends and pastoral approaches required. At the same time, the fact that the conference will bring the bishops and national coordinators together is in itself a synodal approach to doing Church communication.”
According to the Fr. Kaufa, the Holy Year is grounded in journeying together, with the Church encouraging the faithful to approach the challenges of life with hope.
In the same vein, he said, “national communication coordinators are committed to ensuring that Catholic media apostolates engage with the people in the reflection of the theme to give people hope.”
African communicators to journey together
The Jubilee for the World of Communications will bring together not only AMECEA communicators, as well as media professionals from around the world.
Fr. Kaufa recalled the golden jubilee of the Pan African Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), an initiative of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) that was celebrated in 2023.
He noted that the eight regions under SECAM are not on the same page when it comes to communication structures and the integration of communication in pastoral planning, as some regions are more invested than others.
“This Jubilee is another opportunity for all the participants from Africa to once again put their heads together and explore new ways of doing Church communication, and advise SECAM through CEPACS,” concluded Fr. Kaufa. “This might call for another gathering in Africa at CEPACS or AMECEA level, following the jubilee gathering in Rome.”
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
