Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication, sent a message on July 16, 2018, of “closeness” and “collaboration” to the members of the Episcopal Conferences of East Africa (AMECEA), on the occasion of its 19th Plenary Assembly, reported “Vatican News” in Spanish.
The Church in Africa can count on the constant collaboration of the Dicastery for Communication “not only to spread the Message of the Gospel and the voice of the Holy Father but also news on the ‘lively’ Church of the Continent, its events, challenges and its pain,” said Ruffini.
The meeting, which will last 13 days, began on July 13 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and offered the new head of the Dicastery the occasion to recall the Special Assembly for Africa of the 1994 Synod of Bishops, event that, among other things, opened the way for significant investments “in diocesan radio stations,” fostering close collaboration with Vatican Radio.
Vatican Media
“This synergy will continue, including in the context of the reform of the Vatican media, which is already bearing fruits,” specified the Prefect.
Paolo Ruffini expressed these words in the framework of a “growing integration, collaboration and cohesion” between the Holy See’s means of communication; in fact, Vatican Radio has also become part of this new scenario, “due to the change of the informative media landscape in the world,” he explained.
The present converge of digital means is a topic on which the Pope has reflected on many occasions, and this convergence must not allow the progressive abandonment of countries with scarce access to the new digital technologies.
“The reform of the Vatican media doesn’t intend to neglect or abandon these countries, of which a significant number is found in Africa,” said Ruffini.
Vatican Radio continues to broadcast in new digital platforms, but it also keeps its ways of traditional broadcasting, such as shortwave frequencies, for countries that need this service.
Hope and Peace for Africa
Likewise, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication mentioned the wonderful coincidence between the meeting of AMECEA in Addis Ababa and the renewed will of Ethiopia and Eritrea to make peace.
“In the midst of so many conflicts, as the Pope recalled in the Angelus of July 1, the desire for dialogue between the two countries of the Horn of Africa represents a light of hope for all the African Continent,” pointed out the Prefect of the Dicastery.
