The Church needs to move beyond its complacent attitude and move out to confront reality.
This was the underlying sentiment at a special World Communications Day webinar organized by the North East Social Communication (NESCOM) wing of the Catholic Church in India on Sunday, May 16.
At least 27 delegates representing various media department of the Church in the region, attended the event.
Salesian Father George Plathottam, executive secretary of the Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, discussed the theme of the celebration: “Come and See.”
“We need to move beyond the complacent attitude that we already know certain things,” said Father Plathottam.
“Instead we need to go and see them for ourselves, to spend time with the people, to listen to their stories and to confront reality, which, always in some way, surprises us,” he added.
In his keynote address, Bishop Albert Hemrom of Dibrugarh (Assam), NESCOM chairman, stressed the need “to uphold truth in the context of fake news and distorted truth.”
Allen Brooks, spokesperson for United Christian Forum of North East India and Assam Christian Forum, spoke of media and activism in the context of North East India.
“Through our media intervention, we need to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots and our communication system should function like life saving tool in this time of pandemic,” he said.
Father Johnson Parackal, president of SIGNIS North East India, congratulated the NESCOM team and its secretary, Father Tom Mangattuthazhe, for the creative way of celebrating World Communications Day.
Father G P Amalraj, deputy secretary of North East India Regional Bishops’ Council, suggested that NESCOM should help people in the remote corners of the region with registration for vaccination.
The meeting concluded with the launch of a toll free number to access COVID relief support within North East India.
The helpline number, 18001217119, is an initiative of the Commission for Ecumenism of NEIRBC, and is available in English, Hindi, Nagamese, Assamese, Nepali, Kabri and Boro. Frank Krishner/RVA NEWS
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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