Catholic communications week: Bishop Mamza frowns at monetization of the church
The Bishop of Yola Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza has frowned at the activities of some men of God who apparently turned the church to a money making venture.
Mamza who spoke at St Augustine’s Catholic Church, Bekaji, Yola in commemoration of this year’s World Communications Sunday of the Catholic Church noted that the monetization of the Church is an anathema to the Christendom.
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He noted that it is strange for people to just wake up and start building churches with the primary aim of making money adding that such actions and tendencies are antithetical to the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Mamza added that some people are hiding under the cloak of religion to make stupendous money by setting up churches and becoming general overseers.
To butress his points, he cited an example of a general overseer who asked him to buy off his church because he was not making money out of it.
“A general overseer approached me to buy his church. He said things were not moving well for him and he knew of a place where things would work and where he wanted to go.
Dissecting the theme of this year’s World Communications Sunday, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Wisdom of the Heart Towards a Fully Human Communication,’ Mamza said the touch of passion and empathy in human communication cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence.
“Pope Francis invites us this World Communications Day to examine Artificial Intelligence and how it affects communication. Although all platforms for communications offer fantastic opportunities, they take out the humanity in us.
“Any gadgets that deduct from how humanity comes together for impactful close-touch relationship is not good enough and need to be applied in retrospect.
“Many circumstances crop up every so often when you need to be touched or touch someone when you need to stand right by somebody or have somebody stand by you. Only human communication can do this,” he said.
Also speaking on the theme of this year’s Catholic communications week while delivering a lecture, Rev. Fr. Dr. Peter Genger emphasized the need for people to strike a healthy balance between Artificial Intelligence and human communications.
Genger who took time to elucidate the relevance of both AI and human to human communications in the contemporary global terrain noted that although technology is indispensable in today’s world, people should be careful not to allow it to take the place of humanity.
He urged the people not to be afraid of AI but not to be over excited about it noting that the people should be extra careful about the social, emotional and cultural constraints the AI exerts on individuals and communities.
Drawing an analogy of the impact of love and care, Genger noted that some people with terminal illnesses sometimes live longer in life not because of the impact of the drugs and medications but the extent of love extended to them by family, friends and well wishers.
He noted that AI has an overarching tendency to become a habit which exerts an intricate barrier on people adding that it is common to see people who go out on social gatherings only paying attention to their gadgets instead of directly communicating with each other thereby defeating the rationale of the social gathering.
Also speaking, the diocesan communication director Rev father Moses Ma’aji noted that the Catholic Church has established the commutations day about 58 years ago because of the relevance and place of communication within the church.
He noted that in Nigeria the commutations day is extended to last the span of a week during which parishes organized activities to celebrate the week in order to enlighten members of what the church is doing to enhance to cause of humanity.
Maaji noted that the importance of this year’s theme could not be overemphasized considering the impact of technology especially AI on our lives.
He noted that people have stopped visiting their villages and stop physical relationships with their kindred on the alter of the intrusion of electronic gadgets believing that calling family members on phone will take the place of physical visits.
The commutation director said such attitude is a huge misplacement because phone calls can never replace physical contact urging people to take a detour.
