Introduction:
At the dawn of a new era, a vast expansion of human communications is influencing culture everywhere. Revolutionary technological changes are only part of what is happening. Nowhere in the world today are people untouched by the impact of media upon religious and moral attitudes, political and social systems and even eduction. Communication is a subject that has been in existence since the creation of the world and has been handed down to all generations, which also continue to hand it over to generations to come. It is the subject of word and action; an ancient but yet an ever new phenomenon. This according to sixteenth century poet, John Dane, who coined the axiom ‘No man is an Island’, is the subject of life. It is the subject of communication.

Many people describe Communication as the sharing of ideas, values, beliefs and cultures that brings about understanding and communion in society. Sharing means communication is not hypodermic or one directional in nature, (According to the Hypodermic Needle Theory). In an autocratic regime, the media are meant to promote the status quo by propagating concepts of the ruling ideology. They are the mouth peace of the ruling elite. Among the three organs of the state that include the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary in this scenario, the media are regarded as the fourth arm of the state. This is a paranoid view or definition of communication. Communication carries a much broader definition than that of serving interests of authority. It is a give and take exercise and it involves turn taking in talking, writing and in acting. It is a two-step phenomenon with room for feedback than a unidirectional process. Communication is a fundamental fact of human existence. It is an anthropological reality, essential both for human growth and development. Communication is also the way in which God makes himself known to us, and by which we respond to God.

Social Communications and the Church in Zimbabwe:

If you were to ask yourself how you have become what you are mentally, psychological, socially, culturally, emotionally and spiritually, you will realize it is only through communication with other human beings. You have developed and will in future continue to develop till you reach the fullness of your personality only through learning from others. This learning will come through communication with them. The means of social communications have become so important as to be for many the chief means of information and education, of guidance and inspiration in their behavior as individuals, families and within society at large. It is against this background that we encourage you pastors/priests, religious and people of the Church to deepen your understanding of issues relating to Social Communications and to translate this understanding into practical policies that would benefit the Church and its people. The government if often very successful in spreading its propaganda and the reason why many people believe in that information is because the information is packaged and disseminated through the relevant media e.g their newspapers, radio and television. The Church is privileged to own the Commission for Social Communications, which is responsible for the gathering, documenting, packaging and dissemination of all kinds of information and activities that take place in the different diocese. However, it is our concern that priests, religious the faithful should utilize this Commission to promote dialogue within the Church and Society.

As more than just a technological revolution, today’s revolution in social communications involves a fundamental reshaping of the elements by which people comprehend the world about them, and verify and express what they comprehend. The Pastoral Instruction on Social Communications AETATIS NOVAE state that “the constant availability of images and ideas, and their rapid transmission even from continent to continent, have profound consequences, both positive and negative, for the psychological, moral and social development of persons, the structure and functioning of societies, intercultural communications, and the perception and transmission of values, world views, ideologies and religious beliefs.” Hence the establishment of Social Communications Commission and the various media that falls under its stable like the Electronic Media, Pastoral Letters, and Catholic Church News have a fundamental role in shaping the views and religious beliefs of the Catholic Community. The Communication revolution affects perceptions even of the Church’s own structures and modes of functioning. When people know what is going on around them, they become empowered and actively participate in different processes that affect their faith. Thus the Church emphasizes the importance and relevance of social communications in its endeavor to evangelize.

All this has striking pastoral implications according to AETATIS NOVAE. The media can be used to proclaim the gospel or reduce it to silence in human hearts. As media become ever more intertwined with people’s daily lives, they influence how people understand the meaning of life itself. It is important therefore that Christians and pastors find ways to furnish the missing information to those deprived of it and also to give a voice to the voiceless. In this respect, communication mirrors the Church’s own communion and is capable of contributing to it. When Social Communications is fully understood and utilized it bears more significant and abundant fruits in the life of the Church particularly in strengthening the values of the Gospel. It is a fact that the communication of the truth can have a redemptive power, which comes from the person of Christ. He is God’s Word made flesh and the image of the invisible God. In and through him God’s own life is communicated to humanity by the Spirit’s action.

Importance of Catholic Church News:

The Church media like other secular media in the world play the same fundamental role of information provision, education, entertainment, and interpretation of events and of being a watchdog for society. The only difference is the kind of values that the different media propagate and promote. Among the common media in the developing countries in Africa, the newspapers and magazines are more popular because of their proximity to the ordinary people. They report about the people, common features in society and they are very much trusted by the public. In the same vein, the newspapers and their reportage also affect the Church, its operations, and involvement in the life of society. It is in this regard that the Church in Zimbabwe should exert her weight behind its existing media particularly on the Catholic Church News, which is her mouthpiece. It is through this magazine that the Church should respond to the needs of the faithful and promote dialogue, understanding of gospel values and respect for cultural diversity.

Along with traditional means such as witness of life, catechetics, personal, personal contact, popular piety, the liturgy and similar celebrations, the use of Catholic Church News is equally essential in evangelization and catechesis. Indeed, the Church would feel guilty before the Lord if it did not utilize these powerful means that human skills is daily rendering more perfect. The Catholic Church News and other Social Communications activities should be instruments in the Church’s programme of re-evangelization and new evangelization in the contemporary world. This important instrument should enhance full participation of all in the programmes of the evangelization by the Church through contributions of issues that affect individual and collective faith. It should be the channel through which the Church’s mission and vision is communicated to the faithful Christians while it pays attention to those who seek enlightenment of Church matters. The Catholic Church News should provide a platform for discussion between the Church leadership and their followers and is mandated to offer solutions to questions pertaining to faith.

Life in a community constantly demands that decisions are shared. Different interests and aims make this decision making process one of confrontation and conflict. The individual is not capable of assessing the world alone. People need information and explanations for their understanding and orientation. Desmond D’Abreo in The Mass Media and You noted that, “Only with the right grasp of the situation can they be able to participate effectively in the development of their natural, social, cultural and religious environment.” A public forum in the Church does not arise accidentally. Public communication through the medium such as the Catholic Church News has a multiple of tasks to fulfill. Information conveys knowledge of events, deeds, developments and even problems. Such information requires comment pointing to conclusions, questioning values and clearly championing a particular vision. Thus the adage that information is power becomes more relevant.