- Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo, Archbishop Martins, Bishop Badejo to concelebrate with other African Archbishops, Bishops, Priests
- Governor Sanwo Olu, other dignitaries of Lagos State to attend
- Assembly holds tomorrow at Lumen Christi Television premises
- Vatican’s prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Keynote Speaker
- Evaluates, takes stock of CEPACS’ work over these fifty years
The Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) today, Sunday, November 19, 2023 kicked off its two-day 50th anniversary celebrations and assembly with Mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, Nigeria. The Anniversary Mass is to be concelebrated by Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo of Kinshasa, DRC, President of Symposium of Episcopal Conference for Africa and Madagascar (SECAM); Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martin, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Chief Host; and Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, Bishop of Oyo Diocese, President of CEPACS; with other Archbishops, Bishops and Priests from all over Africa.
Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor, Lagos State, other dignitaries of the State cum delegates of the regional offices of communication across Africa along with religious, local and foreign partners of SECAM as well as lay communications experts are expected to attend the Mass. Addressing a Media Conference on Friday, November 17, 2023, Bishop Badejo stated that the Golden Jubilee celebration and Assembly of CEPACS will begin at the Holy Cross Catholic Cathedral, Lagos on November 19, 2023 by 10.30am and continue next day, Monday, November 20, 2023 at the Lumen Christi Television Premises, Lekki Lagos. The overall theme of the Golden Jubilee celebration is: “CEPACS at 50: Promoting A Synodal Church in Africa Through Social Communication”.
Dr. Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communications, Rome, is the Keynote Speaker. The CEPACS President disclosed the objectives of the golden jubilee: “The entire celebration is intended to give thanks to God and to conduct an evaluation and stock-taking on the work of CEPACS over these fifty years. “It is to revitalise CEPACS, understandably after 50 years, to design new strategies in communication and to update Church structures and policies for the present and the future. It is also meant, as the theme suggests, to align the work of CEPACS to serve the new approach of Synodality in the Catholic Church. “
The process of Synodality which was inaugurated by the Holy Father Pope Francis, in 2021 has gone through various stages of reflections and consultation in the Catholic Church from the grassroots to the universal level, calls for a Church that listens to all its members and components and gives everybody, especially those at the margins an opportunity to express themselves and participate more in the life of the Church. In Synodality, everybody is carried along and no one is deliberately left behind in the scheme of things. Such a noble vision would obviously have far-reaching implications for modern society as well.
“Communication is a critical, indispensable part of that process and this is where the vision for founding CEPACS, deservingly needs to be optimised and brought into the present digital age and into the future age of AI and robotics.” CEPACS is the French acronym for Comité Episcopal Panafricain Pour les Communications Sociales which in English, translates to The Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications. It was established by the Bishops of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) at Ibadan, Nigeria, at the end of the Pan-African meeting held from November 28 – December 2, 1973.
He remarked, “CEPACS is therefore one of the committees of (SECAM) which has its headquarters in Accra, Ghana. According to Bishop Badejo, “That Ibadan meeting, inspired by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications (PCSC) of the Vatican (now known as the Dicastery for Communication), had a far-reaching outcome. CEPACS was established to help the Bishops of Africa implement the Pastoral Instruction on the means of Social Communication which was ordered before then by the Second Vatican Council. The Pastoral Instruction was entitled: “Communio et Progressio” (Unity and Advancement).” Continuing, he said, “It proclaimed the means of social communication as “gifts of God.” It laid down various guidelines on how to put these means to the best use for the spread of the gospel, how to train professionals and consumers who use them, how to understand their function in society, how to understand the rights and duties of the people of God towards them and many other things.”
The prelate revealed that the mandate of CEPACS was simply to engage in all matters concerning the Catholic Church’s activities in the realm of media in Africa and Madagascar – press, radio, television, video, traditional, group media, new forms of media and a host of others. CEPACS’ President added, “To fulfil its mandate, CEPACS animates, encourages, and coordinates Church media activities at all levels –through its national, regional and continental organs. CEPACS also promotes the Christian dimension in the use of all media in society and in evangelisation, which includes the promotion of the whole person.
“CEPACS tries to establish good relationship with media professionals, practitioners and organisations within and outside of Africa, both Christian and secular ones. “In these 50 years since then CEPACS has functioned as a committee made up of Bishops who oversee the communication offices of the 8 regions into which the Church in Africa is configured under SECAM. The committee also works through the communication offices of those regions and through consultation with Catholic media professionals and institutions and through good working relationship with non-Catholic ones.”
On the authority of a document on CEPACS compiled by Sir Benedict Batabe Assorow, CEPACS is one of the Committees of SECAM which has a membership of eight Bishops, representing various regions on the African continent. The document reads in parts, “It has one sub-committee; the Screening Sub-Committee for Media Projects. CEPACS, functions mainly through the regional communications offices of the eight regions into which the Catholic Church in Africa is administratively configured. It works through the assistance of media experts and regional coordinators, who are also in charge of the media secretariat on behalf of the Bishops of their respective regions. The Bishops’ committee meets at least once a year.”
The statement further read, “The Committee of CEPACS should consist of nine bishops representing the President of CEPACS and the eight statutory regions of SECAM. It has a President, a Vice-President and an Executive Secretary. The Committee may be assisted by regional coordinators for social communications and “ad hoc” experts in communications. “Presently, eight regions constitute the SECAM Standing Committee and are represented on the CEPACS Committee.
They are:
• Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC)
• Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa Region (ACERAC)
• Regional Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA/ CERAO)
• Assembly of the Catholic Hierarchy of Egypt – (AHCE)
• Regional Episcopal Conferences of North Africa (CERNA)
• Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA)
• Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA)
• Madagascar and Episcopal Conferences of Indian Ocean (CEDOI).” In a similar vein, Rev. Fr. Kibrom Tsegai in a paper entitled ‘CEPACS and its achievement’ noted that in 1984, CEPACS adopted a policy to co-ordinate its activities in Africa and resolved thus:
• Promotes the appointment of communication directors at national and regional levels. These directors will ensure the co-ordination at their respective areas and with their technical skill on media will collaborate with the bishops as well as be consultants for the CEPACS.
• Recognises the need to establish and develop social communication on the continent, strengthened through regular meetings, seminars and training programmes. To ensure co-coordinated planning, CEPACS invites all organisations including UNDA, OCIC, UCIP/UCAP and the funding Agencies to assist in these activities. • Encourages all its members at every Episcopal conference to form associations which are intended to strengthen and promote social communications at the service of evangelisation throughout the continent. • Requests establishing a network of co-ordination with UNDA/OCIC. (Acts 7th…1984:155).
• Recognises the priority of training, especially for the Ministers of the Gospel and those being trained in seminaries and houses of formation.
• Facilitate scholarship on social communication.
