AFRICA

Congo Brazzaville’s Catholic media forges ahead in spite of challenges

Congo Brazzaville’s Episcopal Conference has thrown its weight behind efforts to revamp the Church’s leading media houses. The reforms introduced by new Executive Director, Mr Albert Mianzoukouta, received a thumbs-up at at the just ended National Pastoral Commission meeting.

By Fr. Paul Samasumo –Vatican City.

Catholic media facing challenges

Writing in the latest online edition of La Semaine Africaine, Pascal Biozi Kiminou, reports that Congo Brazzaville’s Catholic-owned By-weekly newspaper, La Semaine Africaine together with the Catholic Church’s printing press, St. Paul, and the Archdiocese of Brazzaville’s Catholic Radio Magnificat are all facing significant financial challenges.

This came to light at a recently concluded annual pastoral meeting of the Bishops’ Pastoral Commission which among other matters deliberated extensively on the state of Catholic media in the country. Prominently discussed was Congo Brazzaville’s influential Church newspaper, La Semaine Africaine.

Congo Brazzaville’s Church pledges to redouble support to its media

Meeting under the guidance of Republic of Congo’s Bishop of Nkayi Diocese, Daniel Mizonzo, who represented other Bishops, the Pastoral Commission heard that La Semaine Africaine, Radio Magnificat and the printing press, Saint Paul -three media entities owned by the Church were facing enormous financial challenges. New Executive Director and former Vatican News employee in the French Africa section, Mr Albert Mianzoukouta, appealed to the Bishops, Dioceses and parishioners in the Republic of Congo to render support to its own media.

La Semaine Africaine started operations in 1952

La Semaine Africaine which has been going since its inception by Father Jean Legal, a Spiritan missionary, in 1952, has served the Church-well but now needed support if it is to continue as an essential tool of social communications in the Church’s pastoral evangelization efforts.

Bishops pleased with reforms

The Bishops’ Pastoral Commission for its part pledged to re-double support to the media houses and congratulated Mr Mianzoukouta for the various reforms and initiatives introduced since he took over. They also expressed enthusiasm about La Semaine Africaine’s drive to recruit more diocesan correspondents and contributors with the view to make news coverage more national.

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