AN/16/2001 1st July 2001

AMECEA EVENTS
TRAINING

AMECEA-IMBISA COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING COURSE

The Second AMECEA-IMBISA Training course on Pastoral Communications and Social Action was held in Harare, Zimbabwe. The course attracted 21 participants drawn from the two regions. There were 12 participants from AMECEA region from the countries of Ethiopia - 1, Sudan - 3, Tanzania - 2, Uganda - 2, Zambia - 4; and 9 from IMBISA region: Lesotho - 1, Namibia - 2, and Zimbabwe - 6.

The course ran from 15th January to 15th April 2001. The aim of the course was to give a background and basic skills in communication. The subjects covered were: Introduction to Mass Communication, Electronic Media, Print Media, Public Speaking, Public Relations, Media Ethics, Pastoral Communication, Theology of Communication, Social Teaching of the Church and Church Documents on Social Communications and New Technologies. The course involved a lot of practical work in view of providing the participants with skills for action.

This second course has continued to tighten the bond between AMECEA and IMBISA regions. It is our wish that this collaborative effort will remain a tradition.

The training course was officially closed at a graduation ceremony where the participants received certificates. His Excellency, Archbishop Peter Paul Prabhu, the Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe who presided over the closing ceremony challenged the participants to go out and speak boldly the truth of Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth.

UGANDA

RADIO SAPIENTIA - THE "SOURCE OF WISDOM"

On the Feast of Uganda Martyrs, 3rd June 2001, the Uganda Episcopal Conference officially launched the Catholic National Radio - "Radio Sapientia", in a ceremony held at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat. However, the first signals of "Radio Sapientia" which means the "Source of Wisdom" already hit the Uganda airwaves 21st March 2001. His Eminence Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala introduced it to the nation in a live broadcast on 10th April 2001.

Operating 18 hours daily, the radio has a wide coverage of about 200 km, reaching Gulu in northern Uganda, some parts of Soroti, Tororo and Mbale districts in the east and Kakumiro in the west. The antennae are 106 meters high with a transmitter power of 5 kilowatts. It is expected that in the near future the coverage will expand to other areas.
The main objective of Radio Sapientia is family building. It offers integral programs that span all aspects of life, among others: Human Rights, Mature Politics, Morality, Justice and Peace, Economic Prosperity, Integral Education, Health and Reverence for Human Life. It is hoped that through this integral programming, a new positive conscience will be created to bridge the current existing differences among Ugandans. The Radio targets adults and youth and currently operates in two languages - English and Luganda.

Radio Sapientia, according to the Managing Director, Fr. Anthony Matovu, begins on a positive note. Some airtime is used on commercials to fund the radio and promote genuine interest of the people, making sure that the station does not become a liability to the Episcopal Conference.

WORKSHOPS

ON-GOING FORMATION WORKSHOP FOR AMECEA BISHOPS

AMECEA Pastoral Department organized an on-going formation session for AMECEA Bishops. The workshop which took place from 14th-26th May 2001 at Blessed Bakanja College in Nairobi, Kenya attracted about 30 Bishops from AMECEA Countries. The workshop was a follow-up on the study theme for the 13th AMECEA Plenary Assembly held in 1999 which was centered on "formation for all agents of evangelization". It recommended that the bishops also should be offered programs of on-going formation.

At the close of the workshop, the bishops made the following recommendations to AMECEA Executive Committee:
1. The on-going formation of priests in the AMECEA region is a serious concern, therefore we recommend that:
a) this issue be seriously evaluated and studied at the AMECEA Plenary Assembly sitting in Dar-Es-Salaam in the year 2002 with the intention of having a formation of future priests attuned to the Church as Family of God.
b) concerted efforts be made to improve initial formation programs. Pastoral theology should be an important part of initial formation and that there should be proper planning, monitoring and evaluation of seminarians during the pastoral year by the seminary staff.
c) as an integral part of their formation, seminarians be exposed to the life situations of our communities. Moreover, efforts be made to ensure that religious men and women are included in the formation of our seminarians, especially where this is not yet done.
d) each national conference should elaborate on-going formation programs for priests and other persons involved in the apostolate of the church in a significant way.
e) that a committee be established at AMECEA level to work out appropriate formation programs.
2. We recommend that a wider search be initiated to look for staff for Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) to ensure that Church History and Sacred Liturgy be re-activated as soon as possible.

3. We strongly recommend that AMECEA Executive Committee and the individual national conferences continue their advocacy about the conflict situation and the issue of human rights in the Sudan.
4. The AMECEA Executive Committee organizes a similar workshop during the term of office of the next Executive Board.

5. In as far as possible, a rotation of venue be made for future on-going formation workshops for AMECEA bishops.

6. Globalization be acknowledged as a challenge and a sign in our time to which all are ill prepared, hence, the AMECEA Executive Board should seriously seek to enlist experts to study the phenomenon in order to enlighten and advise the bishops on its merits and demerits.

7. Concerted efforts be made to study and enable a greater preparedness in facing sustenance, aging, retirement and the process of succession which are becoming an issue in our local churches.

8. A greater effort be put into the process of inculturation.

9. National Episcopal Conferences to organize on-going formation programs for the bishops of individual conferences.

WORKSHOP FOR SECRETARIES GENERAL, FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATORS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARIES OF AMECEA COUNTRIES

AMECEA Regional Office organized a two-week workshop, which was held in the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) from 13th to 26th May 2001. The workshop on Strategic Planning and Management was organized for Secretaries General, Enhancement of Financial Sustainability for Financial Administrators and Office Management for Administrative Secretaries.

AMECEA today is operating within a context that is fast changing. In order to respond appropriately to these changes, AMECEA engaged itself into activities designed to equip it with skills needed to meet the demands of these changes.

The three workshops were therefore a response to this dire need. The participants had joint sessions in which they shared their common concerns. They were able to jointly plan for the future of AMECEA. The workshop was a great success.

CELEBRATIONS
MALAWI

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN MALAWI CELEBRATES A CENTENARY

The Catholic Bishops of Malawi have released a Pastoral Letter to mark the National Centenary celebrations in Malawi on 28th July 2001. The bishops have appealed to the Christians to take the centenary as a special time of grace for all Catholics to evaluate the evangelization and missionary work of the church over the past 100 years as well as a time to plan and focus on the present and future challenges of the Church. Centenary is also a time of thanksgiving for all the blessings received from God and his Church. It is an important occasion to correct mistakes, forgive and reconcile, heal, renew and a time of re-dedication with great hope for the future.

The bishops made special calls on:

• Priests - to renew their commitment to serve Christ and his Church.
• Religious men and women - to pray and reflect about their role in the Church and in the world and the need to be salt of the earth and light of the world through the witness of their vowed life.
• Laity - to be true signs of faithfulness and love for the families today and ready to renew their commitment to married love in the sacrament of marriage.
• Catechists and lay volunteers - to intensify their work of animation, teaching and guidance to Small Christians Communities.
• Young people - to seize the opportunities in communities to participate in good constructive social works: such as home based care programs, programs with people with disabilities, orphans thus gaining leadership skills in the communities.

The bishops called upon the entire community of the catholic church in Malawi to intensify their prayer life and reception of sacraments especially that of reconciliation and the Eucharist in order to renew their dedication to the praying and reading of the bible as well as various devotions. They wished the centenary to be a moment of growth in faith and mission of evangelization.

The great celebrations are scheduled for 28th July 2001 at Lilongwe.

BELATED NEWS

APPOINTMENTS
MALAWI

NEW ARCHBISHOP FOR BLANTYRE ARCHDIOCESE

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II on 15th February 2001 appointed Right Reverend Tarcisius G. Ziyaye who has been Bishop of Lilongwe Diocese, as the new Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Blantyre in Malawi.

Archbishop Ziyaye was born in 1949 at Khombe village, Mchinji District in Malawi. He was ordained priest on 14th August 1977. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Dedza on 21st January 1992 and ordained 23rd May 1992. He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Lilongwe 29th May 1993. On 29th November 1994 he was appointed Bishop of Lilongwe.

Ziyaye succeeds Archbishop James Chiona who served the diocese since 1968. His retirement was accepted by Pope John Paul II on the 15th February 2001.

BISHOP FELIX MKHORI MOVES TO LILONGWE

On 15th February 2001, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, appointed the Bishop of Chikwawa Diocese, the Right Reverend Felix Mkhori as the new Bishop of Lilongwe Diocese. He succeeds Bishop Ziyaye who has then been moved to Blantyre Archdiocese.

Bishop Mkhori was ordained priest 8th September 1961. He was nominated Auxiliary Bishop 31st October 1977 and ordained Bishop 8th January 1978 by Rt. Rev. E.F.J. Vroemen at Limbe Cathedral, Blantyre. On 5th March 1979 he was appointed Bishop of Chikwawa and on 2nd June 1979 installed by His Grace James Chiona. He was the first Malawian Bishop of the Diocese.

BISHOP STE-MARIE NOW BISHOP DEDZA

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, 27th October 2001 appointed Right Reverend Remi Joseph Gustave
Ste-Marie as the new bishop of Dedza Diocese in Malawi. Bishop Ste-Marie has been the auxiliary Bishop of the same diocese since 1998.

Bishop Ste-Marie was born 11th January 1938 in La Minevere, Co Lavelle, Canada. He was ordained priest 29th June 1963 in his home parish. He was ordained Bishop 9th May 1998 at Bembeke Cathedral by the then Papal Pro-nuncio to Malawi and Zambia, His Excellency Giuseppe Leanza. On 12th Nov. 2000 he was installed Bishop of Dedza by His Excellency the Papal Nuncio to Malawi and Zambia, His Excellency Orlando Antonini at Bembeke Cathedral.

Bishop Ste-Marie succeeds Bishop Gervasio Chisendera who served the diocese from 1994 to the present time. His retirement has been accepted by Pope John Paul II October 2000.

KENYA

NEW DIOCESE - NEW BISHOP

His Holiness Pope John Paul II has created a new diocese from the Diocese of Marsabit in northern Kenya. He has also appointed Rev. Fr. Virgilio Pante of the Consolata Missionaries as its first bishop. The new diocese to be called Diocese of Maralal comprises the civil district of Samburu.

Born 16th March 1946 at Lamon, Belluno-Feltre in Italy, Fr. Pante entered the Consolata Institutein 1965, making his first profession the following year. His was consequently ordained a priest in 1970. Bishop-Elect Pante who holds a bachelor degree in theology and masters in African studies has a long working exprerience in Kenya. He worked in Mwea (Nyeri) 1972, Marsabit 1973-1976, Maralal 1977-1778, Good Shepherd Minor Seminary in Maralal, as rector 1979-1986, Chiga (Kisumu) 1994-1996.

He has been vice-regional superior of the Consolata Missionaries for Kenya and Uganda at the time of his appointment. He speaks Italian, English, Kiswahili, Samburu, Kikuyu and Dhaluo.

NEWS OUTSIDE AMECEA

NEW BISHOP FOR DJIBOUTI

The Diocese of Djibouti has a new bishop, Rev Giorgio Bertin, OFM. He was, until his appointment, the Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Mogadishu. Born in Padue, Italy, in 1946, Bertin entered the Franciscan Order, professing in 1968. He was ordained in 1975. His first missionary experience in Baidoa, Somalia, came in 1969-71. He was to return to Somalia in January 1978, where he was involved mainly in pastoral and catechetical activities. He was the Vicar General for Mogadishu, when Bishop Salvatore Colombo OFM was murdered on 9th July 1989. It was then that he was appointed Apostolic Administrator.

At the beginning of 1991, after witnessing the total destruction of the structures of the Church in Somalia, he "took refuge" in Nairobi Kenya. From a distance he still administered to the Church in Somalia, and took part in the Somali relief and development activities organized by Caritas. Besides his theological training, Rev Bertin holds a Diploma in Arabic Language and Culture, and a Licentiate in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI).

Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Djibouti on 13th March 2001, occasioned by the retirement due to age of Bishop Georges Perron, OFCap. The appointment was made public on 4th April 2001.

Djibouti has about 10,000 Catholics in a population of 700,000, mostly Afar and Somali. It has been reasonably stable, save for the Afar uprising of the early 1990's. It has diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and has treated the church relatively well. The church is mostly involved in schools and, through Caritas, is very much present among the poor. Rev Bertin told Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA) that there are already 6 priests and twenty sisters in Djibouti, which was evangelized in the 1880's by the Franciscans.

Rev Bertin was ordained Bishop 25th May 2001 in Djibouti.

UNDA-OCIC WORLD CONGRESS

The joint World Congress of International Catholic Association for Radio and Television (UNDA) and International Catholic Association for Cinema and Audiovisual (OCIC) will be held in Rome between 19th - 25th November 2001.

For over 70 years, Catholic professionals working in the area of cinema (producers, directors but also a large number of cinema critics) and those working in radio and television have belonged to two separate international associations: OCIC (for cinema and Audiovisual) and Unda (for radio and television). For a long time, these media did not have much in common. But in the digital age, media lines are blurred and media people are active in several fields.

So, OCIC and Unda members are now getting ready to create a new WORLD CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNICATION: SIGNIS. It will be bringing together national associations of members in some 140 countries, and not only film and broadcast people, but media educators, media journalists, webmasters of Catholic sites, professors of communication studies, etc.

The launching of this new world association will take place during the next Unda/OCIC world congress, in Rome, from 19 to 25 November 2001. SIGNIS will be a relevant and efficient way to bring Catholic communication to the front stage!

The Congress will be attended by National, Regional and International Communications Coordinators and all other associations, organizations or media centres worldwide.

We apologize that due to unavoidable circumstances we could not publish the March 2001 issue.

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