The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has challenged the Catholic youths to take a central role in using modern technology for evangelization.
ECM’s National Communications Coordinator Father Francis Damaseke stressed that the youth command the huge number of people who use social media and they have the power to bring the gospel to many people.
He made the remarks on Thursday, 14th November 2024 at Thondwe Pastoral Centre in the diocese of Zomba during a training organized for pastoral agents to equip them with skills in using mass media for evangelization.
Father Damaseke, who is also the national youth chaplain, said when the bishops met during their June 2024 plenary, they suggested the need to intensify the drive towards evangelization, especially using social media.
“During the national youth conference in Blantyre in August, Bishop chairman for the Pastoral Commission Right Reverend Martin Mtumbuka also reiterated the same that the youths must be at the center of evangelization and that is why we organized this training to equip the youths on how they can take the gospel to the rest of their fellow youths using the social media,” he added.
Seasoned media practitioner, Gabriel Kamlomo, one of the facilitators during the training said means of communication have now evolved and social media is the fastest in getting information to the masses.
He described the training as timely to help the young people understand how they can use different platforms to spread their faith.
“Social media space is a very good space where the church can get out to people and the youth are very active in this space. This is where they may use their understanding of the faith, their love for the faith, their defense for the church to spread the gospel,” said Kamlomo who is also the Laity council chairperson in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.
In an interview after the training, the youth praised the bishops for the “timely” arrangement to equip them with knowledge on how best to use social media for evangelization.
Modester Ntapasya, a youth representative from the diocese of Mangochi said: “All along we have been thinking that social media is basically a tool for entertainment but with what we have been told there is a lot that can be achieved through social media. We will now be able to spread the good news in our respective platforms.”
“We are ready to implement what the Church has asked us through this training so that we can reach to a lot of people who follow us on different social media platforms,” stated Chisomo Nkhoma, Youth Chairperson for the archdiocese of Lilongwe.
Yvonne Mchemo from the Archdiocese of Blantyre said she was delighted to have gone through a presentation on how they may be responsible when using social media without injuring other people.
Apart from the Church perspective, the training also featured several presentations from the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) on Cyber Security Act, cyber hygiene, media laws, ethics, and access to information law among other topics.
Meanwhile the church has stressed that when social media is used, Christians should not take it as a replacement to physical attendance to Church activities.