Catholic bishops, Church leaders in Africa laud ACI Africa ahead of its 5th anniversary

Church leaders celebrate at a launch event ahead of ACI Africa’s five-year anniversity on Aug. 9 2024. / Credit: ACI Africa

ACI Africa, Aug 8, 2024 / 17:06 pm (CNA).

Catholic bishops’ conferences in Africa and many Catholic groups and leaders have extended their congratulations to ACI Africa (the Association for Catholic Information in Africa) — a service of EWTN News, which is a division of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) Global Catholic Network — ahead of its fifth anniversary on Friday, Aug. 9.

Founded in August 2019, ACI Africa provides free and timely coverage on news in Africa from a Catholic perspective.

Through its English and French websites, various social media networks, and free email subscriptions, the Nairobi-based news service gives media visibility to plans and actions of Catholic Church leaders, individually and collectively in their respective diocesan, national, regional, continental, and congregational forums as well as individual Catholics and institutions at the grassroots.

In a “goodwill message” on behalf of members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the secretary-general of the continental symposium, Father Rafael Simbine Jr., expressed “happiness and gratitude on this memorable day for ACI Africa and beyond, for the Catholic Church on the continent and its islands.”

“On the occasion of the celebration of the wooden jubilee, five years of the online media ACI Africa, I would like to share with you, solemnly, my deep gratitude for the innumerable services rendered to the Church family in Africa, particularly in the sector of evangelization through the media,” Simbine said in his message.

He said the activities of ACI Africa, including daily news reports from the “eight regions of SECAM, the Vatican, and the whole world,” have increased the Church’s visibility across Africa.

He recognized ACI Africa as a news service that demonstrates a commitment to providing up-to-date news about the Church in Africa.

“ACI Africa’s services in the production and dissemination of information are the more remarkable as the content is produced and disseminated in several languages and is accessible free of charge,” Simbine said.

ACI Africa contributes “substantially to the dissemination of the good news and to the development of cultures in their diversity in Africa and in the world,” he added.

Simbine went on to express appreciation to Father Adalbert Marie Mohm, who founded ACI Prensa in 1980 in Lima, Peru, and the current leadership of ACI Africa and all the staff, as well as to “all the partners and the readers of this media.”

For their part, members of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) said that since August 2019, ACI Africa has been “a pastoral tool for the continent providing news on the issues affecting the Catholic and the community in general.”

“This has added value in telling and sharing the stories of the Church in Africa: Its joys, pains, and sorrows,” AMECEA secretary-general Father Anthony Makunde said in his congratulatory message on behalf of the Catholic bishops.

Makunde added: “By offering free access to your news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, organizations, and individuals, you have not only increased awareness of the activities of the universal Church but also fostered a deeper sense of Catholic thought and culture in the lives of Catholics everywhere.”

“Thank you for keeping us informed about the Church’s mission and developments. We recognize and appreciate this vital role you play in nurturing and strengthening the Catholic faith across Africa,” the Nairobi-based member of Tanzania’s Archdiocese of Mbeya said.

“May ACI Africa continue to grow and thrive in its mission, and may God bless your noble efforts and the entire staff abundantly,” Makunde said, adding: “Wishing you many more years of success and impactful service to the Church and its faithful.”

In another message of congratulations, the president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka, extended his “hearty congratulations to ACI Africa,” saying: “This Catholic news agency has done well in presenting the news about the Church from an African perspective.”

Sipuka noted that ACI Africa has given visibility to the “activities of the Church on the whole continent of Africa and in that way created a sense of pride and identity of the African Church.”

Through ACI Africa, he said, “we know how much the Church is present in Africa, alive and engaging.”

“Thank you for publicizing the Church in Africa and its engagement on faith, social, and political issues and thus making known her impact on the continent and the universal Church. Keep up the good work and may God bless you,” Sipuka said in his message.

Caritas Africa also commended ACI Africa on the eve of its anniversary for its “pivotal role in evangelization, particularly within the Catholic Church in Africa.”

“This milestone is a testament to the invaluable service that ACI Africa provides in the realm of EWTN,” said Lucy Esipila, the regional coordinator for Caritas Africa. “ACI Africa has significantly contributed to enhancing the visibility of Caritas’ impactful work.”

“Caritas Africa extends its best wishes to ACI Africa for continued success and fruitful collaboration in the years ahead. May your partnership continue to make a meaningful impact in our shared mission,” Esipila said.

Members of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) also lauded ACI Africa for its “commitment to delivering timely and insightful news.”

“Congratulations on reaching your fifth anniversary! Your dedication to providing timely and insightful Catholic news has been instrumental in enriching the faith and knowledge of the Catholic community across Africa,” PACTPAN members said in their letter.

They recognized with appreciation ACI Africa’s commitment to delivering “accurate information and fostering a deeper understanding of the Church’s mission.”

“May your continued efforts in Catholic journalism continue to inspire and inform, uplifting the faith of many and strengthening the Catholic community across Africa. Wishing you many more years of impactful service and blessings.”

The leadership of Paulines Publications Africa (PPA) under the auspices of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP/Pauline Sisters) also expressed gratitude to ACI Africa for their collaboration over the years.

“Paulines Publications Africa has been one of your best beneficiaries because you have been in close collaboration with us, especially telling the story of our life as Daughters of St. Paul, as publishers who carry out this mission so that we reach many people, and especially to serve our Catholic Church here in Africa,” PPA directress Sister Praxides Nafula said.

Nafula added: “We want to thank God for this significant milestone in your news service. Five years is not a joke and the impact that you are already creating in the lives of the people and the Catholic Church in Africa; we can feel it; we can see that our stories from our African continent are being told to the outside world through your news service.” 

Through ACI Africa, she said, “we see that our Christian faith is grown in Africa, and ACI Africa has been able to bring this to light. Indeed, you are doing a great apostolate, and the Church in Africa is really appreciating you; thank you so much.”

Meanwhile, the second vice president of the Regional Union of West African Priests (RUPWA) praised ACI Africa’s focus on local Church activities.

ACI Africa has made “significant efforts to showcase the realities of our Church, from major institutions to simple parish priests,” Father Peter Konteh said. “Bravo to ACI Africa for its fantastic work in evangelization through media.”

Additionally, the leadership of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), an entity of SACBC, has acknowledged ACI Africa’s role in raising global awareness about critical issues.

“I have had extremely positive experiences with ACI Africa. They always report the truth as they hear it, without favor or prejudice. They have gone the extra mile to highlight issues that the Church on the grassroots feel is important and the quality of journalism has overall been superb,” the director of DHPI, Johan Viljoen, said in his message. 

In Angola, the parish priest of St. John Calabria Parish of the Archdiocese of Luanda recognized ACI Africa’s coverage of the desecration of his parish after a robbery incident. 

“Thank you for your swift reporting, which helped us receive aid and support,” Father Hilário Dumba said, referring to the reception of two ciboria donated by members of St. Norbert’s Parish in Paoli, Pennsylvania, following ACI Africa’s report on the robbery incident.

“Congratulations on your fifth anniversary. May your mission continue to resonate worldwide,” he said.

In Cameroon, Catholic journalist Martin Jumbam lauded ACI Africa’s “thorough analysis” of events.

“I congratulate ACI Africa and your staff on the thorough analysis of events, be they political, economic, social, and especially religious, as they touch the Catholic Church that is in Africa and my country, Cameroon, in particular,” Jumbam said.

Father Beltus Asanji Tabefor, a priest serving in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, also acknowledged ACI Africa’s role in providing credible Catholic news. 

“ACI Africa is one of the most credible media sources we have in Africa, especially as far as Catholic news is concerned,” Tabefor said. “ACI Africa is that major platform that we as Catholics need to follow. We need to get ourselves informed; we need to spread the Gospel using the media.”

This article was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.