Report by Ben Osuagwu
Mass Communicators have been called upon to use their profession to communicate God humanity and society.
The Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese the Most Rev. Simeon Okezuo Nwobi made the call during this year’s World Communication Day at the Maria Mater Ecclesia Cathedral Ahiara in the Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.
Bishop Nwobi advised Media Workers to use all professional means of communication to bring the good news of Christ to every land and nations of the world. He enjoined them to always counter fake news, speak out against corruption and everything that impedes the Gospel of Christ.
Citing the Pope’s message in the theme – Artificial Intelligence and Wisdom of the Heart for a fully Human Communication, Bishop Nwobi stressed that Journalists should communicate only truth for a better society. He maintained that the main reason for the celebration of the Communications Week is to promote humanity, the good news of Jesus Christ, and news that promote health and education.
The Catholic Prelate reminded journalists of their responsibility to ensure that truth remains their watchword and is told at all times. He said that they should always ensure that truth is never swept under the carpet and appealed to them as Catholic Journalists to stand in for Jesus and not allow themselves to be cowed into distributing or disseminating false and fake news.
Bishop Nwobi assured that Ahiara Diocese will do everything within her means to provide facilities that will ehance communication activities in the Diocese.
In his homily, a Lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt and Chairman of the Board of Social Communications the Rev.Fr. Professor Walter Ihejirika commended Bishop Nwobi for celebrating this year’s World Communications Day as well as presiding over the pontifical mass In his lecture, the Director of Social Communications of the Diocese, the Rev. Fr. Professor Innocent Uwah said that Artificial Intelligence has its good and bad influences. The Rev Fr Professor Uwah said that no matter what technology does, human intelligence and reasoning which begin from the heart remains supreme. He observed that Artificial Intelligence can never create a heart rather it is robotic in nature.
In his message, His Holiness Pope Francis charged the world to be careful at this time in history when risks are becoming rich in technology and poor in humanity, adding that artificial intelligence is radically affecting the morals . He said that human reflections must begin with the human heart.
Pope Francis emphasised that it is only by adopting a spiritual way of viewing reality and by recovering a wisdom of the heart can we confront and interpret the newness of our time and discover the path to a fully human communication.
The Pontiff said that in the Bible, the heart is seen as the place of freedom and decision making and it symbolizes integrity and unity. He said that the heart also engages human emotions, assures, dreams and above all the inward place of our encounter with God.
The Pope observed that artificial intelligence has now supplanted the more correct term machine learning used in artificial literature.
Pope Francis said the use of artificial intelligence can make positive contribution to the communication sector provided it does not eliminate the role of jounalism on the ground that it serves to support it as well as values the professionalism of communication, making every communicator more aware of his or her responsibilities and enables all people to be as they should discerning participants in the work of communication.
