“Communication perspective from Africa” on Attention Economy among Topics at Rome Conferences in 2025 Jubilee Context

Prof. Ngozi Okpara, who teaches professional ethics in media and communication, media, the human person and society, and human communication theory and practice at the Pan-Atlantic University’s School of Media and Communication in Nigeria is to present the topic, “The economy of attention in an era of distractions. A communication perspective from Africa”

Fr. Walter Ihejirika, the President of Signis Africa, the African region of the World Catholic Association for Communication, is to introduce Prof. Okpara to participants in the convention that is set to begin on January 22 afternoon. The three conventions that the Vatican City is hosting from January 22-26 include the professional seminar for Church communication offices, the Global jubilee conference with Religious Sisters, and the jubilee of the world of communications.

In Kenya, members of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP) popularly known as the Pauline Sisters or Daughters of St. Paul are to facilitate a conference on January 25 in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN) in the context of the Jubilee of the World of Communications under the theme, “Communicating hope in the digital space”.

Their counterparts in Kenya’s Catholic Archdiocese of Kisumu have partnered with Radio Maria in the Kenyan Metropolitan See to facilitate the celebration of the Jubilee of the World of Communications in the Archdiocese on January 26 under the theme, “Hope does not disappoint” from Romans 5:5.

The international Conference for Catholic Institutional Communicators, who include Presidents of Episcopal Communication Commissions and Directors of National Communication Offices in Catholic Bishops’ Conferences are scheduled to meet in closed-door sessions in Rome from January 27-29.

January 22-24: The 14th Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices

Organized under the theme, “Communication and evangelization: Context, attitude and experiences”, this is an international biennial forum of the School of Church Communications of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Participants in the seminar include communicators drawn from ecclesial entities, including Catholic Dioceses, Bishops’ Conferences, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), movements and other Church-related organizations.

In explaining the theme of the three-day seminar, the organizers have stated, “The Great Jubilee of 2025 raises many questions about the link between evangelization and communication.”

Some of the questions, the organizers say, include, “how can the Church's communication offices help bring to public attention the reality of God and His love for all people? How to tell stories that convey this reality?”

Others are, “How to ensure that Church communication helps bring the light of the Gospel to all environments, especially those most in need? How can communication help ‘convey hope’ in a polarized and often polemical context? How do we keep the focus of these offices on essential issues?”

The seminar that the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) has sponsored will see participants engage in a series of topics after the January 22 inaugural keynote speech on “Evangelization and contemporaneity: Guidelines for the communicative activity of the Church” by the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Mons. Fernando Ocáriz to be introduced by Mons. Rino Fisichella, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization
to be continued...

ACI Africa