By Jessica Onyegbula
The Catholic Church on Monday urged youths to use the social media for positive development of the country so as to ensure the unity and peaceful coexistence of her citizens.
Rev. Fr Mike Umoh, the National Director of Social Communications at the CathoIic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), said this in a presentation in Abuja, during a 3-day workshop on Improving Communication Strategies in the Catholic Media in Nigeria.
Umoh spoke on the sub- theme: Overcoming the challenges of Social Media use in the mission of the Church in Nigeria.
The cleric cautioned youths against the circulation of destructive audio and video messageswhich he said could further create tension and violence in the country.
He urged religious leaders to take advantage of the social media to evangelise and share useful contents to educate social media users.
Social media is where the people are and for leaders to reach out to youths of today, they must go through the social media.
The social media can be used for greater good if we create a positive alternative to it, he said.
Also, Dr Cletus Akwaya, the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Asset Newspaper, charged Catholic newspapers, to brace up to the challenges facing the industry.
He said if not, they would be inadvertently towing the path of obliteration in his paper with the title: Problems and prospects of successful Church newspaper in Nigeria.
Akwaya said that the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria should coordinate the setting up of a Foundation for the Catholic Media services in Nigeria.
The Foundation should serve as a funding platform for the Catholic Television, irs numerous diocesan newspapers, radio stations and the New Media.
Apart from mobilising funds from both local and foreign sources, the foundation will be expected to coordinate training of journalists and media workers and help in coordinating research activities, he said.
Mr Patrick Osu, the National President, Catholic Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAMPAN),in his address of welcome, defined communication as a very vital instrument of life that promotes peace, love and reconciliation.
Osu said that media practitioners should always report the truth always.
For us as a professional body, we will not rest on our oars by promoting professionalism among our members and put into practice the teachings and doctrines of the church that will bring about sanity and compassion for human dignity.
We must be prepared and willing to make sacrifices to achieve our aims and objectives of uniting the body of Christ through our professional callings as social communicators.
Osu said that the media has the power to make this nation great through the various networks of the practitiobers.
We must use our positions well within the context of professional ethics to avert dangerous trends by exposing evil and always reporting the truth.
I believe this is the time to come together and let the society feel our impact, he said. (NAN)
Source: NAN News