“Let Us Give People Hope With What We Say” Bishop Onaga Urges Journalists

The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, has urged media practitioners to communicate truth with gentleness.

Bishop Onaga gave the advice in a message to mark the 59th World Communications Day held at Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu.

Speaking on the Theme of the event, “Share with gentleness the hope that is in your heart” the clergyman reminded media practitioners that they are agents of  communications and should be diplomatic and sensitive in sharing certain information to the people, especially on sensitive issues.

“I invite you to be communicators of hope. Communication invokes reactions. Do not create falsehood. If you are communicating just to make money, you are not giving people hope. Let us give people hope  with what we say“, he said.

While urging media practitioners on sharing  communication with gentleness, Bishop Onaga said, Some media channels are there to create confusion.” Let  us douse tension, tell the people to be calm about what is happening. Use your pen to construct, not to destroy.God has given you the opportunity to create the world”.

He adviced people to always be objective and try to rescue people in difficult or helpless situation like accident, rather than taking pictures or recording videos to create  contents to get traffic. He said they should first rescue the person or persons and save life.” Please, do not post to create contents, do not post lies, seek to restore life, and not to make money .

“If you can destroy people with your words, then your communication is in vain. Communicate truth and communicate life. Communicate truth in such a way that people can swallow truth with a bit of ease, the gentleness, the hope that is in your heart. Communicate to brighten people, save life, and give us hope., care for our hearts and  give us hope. Care for your life and your interior life. Help to spread the culture of care, build bridges, avoid ethnic profiling, tell stories, be concerned about our common destiny., research, investigate, stop unnecessary competition, give people their due, stop undue jealousy, admire the person that is doing well, give him courage” , Bishop Onaga urged.

He further spoke on communicating hope, saying, “advancing hope through dialogue and when you talk about  hope you look around you. You don’t talk about hope when there are signs of no future. You can only talk about hope in your heart when your heart is calm.,” Bishop Onaga said

He therefore urged media practitioners to as the watchdog of the society, execute their jobs with gentleness, objectivity, kindness and love to bring peace and hope to the people .

In his welcome address, the Director of Communications, Enugu Catholic Diocese, Rev Anthony Aneke urged media practitioners to use communication  for peace, noting that, communications should be sharing  hope, kindness, and peace.

Fr. Aneke explained that the 2025 World Communications Day challenges media practitioners to consider how they can  turn communications to hope, using media for gentleness. All will make us  responsible in our digital space, ‘ he said.

In a lecture, on the Theme, ” “Share with gentleness the  hope that is in you, the guest lecturer and  Special Assistant to the  Governor on Strategic Communications,  Dr. Collins Ogbu urged Communicators to be sensitive in sharing information, especially when they are in helpless situation and give them hope. He also urged them to always use the right channel of communications for the right people to achieve positive results

Chairman of the occasion and Vice Chancellor, Enugu State University of Science and Technology ( ESUT), Prof. Alloysius Okolie in his opening remarks urged media practitioners to be objective, practice investigative journalism, to give people hope, peace and to shape the world positively.

Highlight of the event was match past by various media organisations.

Author: Maureen Ikpeama