EWTN Press Release

EWTN To Launch African News Agency

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN Global Catholic Network announced May 10 that it will launch a news service for the African continent.  ACI-Africa will be a Nairobi, Kenya-based Catholic news agency, which will publish content in English, French and Portuguese. EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw formally introduced the project during an event at EWTN’s Vatican bureau. The news agency will officially begin operations on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption, the same date on which EWTN Founder Mother Angelica launched EWTN in 1981.

“I am pleased to announce that EWTN will soon be launching a news agency which will cover the Church across the continent of Africa,” Warsaw said. “The Church in Africa is vibrant and continues to see exponential growth.  My hope is that this new service from EWTN will help continue to build up the African Church and also ensure that the voice of the African Church is heard more clearly around the world with content that is shared through EWTN’s other news platforms.”

The Association for Catholic Information in Africa (ACI-Africa) will be headed by Father Don Bosco Onyalla, a priest of the Diocese of Rumbek in South Sudan. He is a journalist who established and previously oversaw the Catholic News Agency For Africa (CANAA), a project of the African bishops conference since May 2013. Onyalla’s work has included producing websites, newsletters and social media updates for the bishops, as well as working with diocesan, national and regional episcopal communication directors throughout Africa.  He speaks English, French, and Swahili, as well as the local languages of Luhya and Dinka.

“I look forward to interacting with fellow Catholic journalists under the EWTN umbrella, to facilitating the telling of Africa’s story by Africans, and to the challenges involved in setting up a news agency in the vast and multi-cultural context that is Africa,” Onyalla said.

ACI-Africa will be a part the ACI Group which was acquired by EWTN in 2014 and includes ACI Prensa, the world’s largest Spanish-language Catholic news organization with headquarters in Lima, Peru; ACI Digital, the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-based news organization, which serves the Portuguese-speaking world; and ACI Stampa, the Italian-language news organization based in Rome. ACI Group is part of the larger EWTN News, Inc. division, which also includes Denver-based Catholic News Agency (CNA), the German language news service, CNA Deutsch, and several other Catholic news outlets.

“We were honored to welcome Vatican officials, journalists, and distinguished guests to our event announcing the birth of ACI-Africa,” said Alejandro Bermudez, Executive Director of the ACI Group.  “This new Agency aimed at covering all Africa for Africa and the world is an expression of the growing role African Catholicism is having in the universal Church. This is a significant step forward for the ACI Group as well as for the larger EWTN News family.”

The launch of ACI-Africa is the latest development in EWTN’s efforts to continue to expand its news presence in the global Catholic digital and multimedia marketplace. In 2013, the Network launched “EWTN News Nightly,” a daily news program from Washington, D.C. covering news and world events from a Catholic perspective. In 2011, EWTN acquired “The National Catholic Register,” the leading Catholic newspaper in the United States. In addition, EWTN’s radio and digital media services have greatly expanded their news content in recent years.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 38th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN’s 11 global TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 300 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the largest Catholic websites in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, “The National Catholic Register” newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division.

Holy Communion for Polygamists?

Pope Francis' excellent job of causing a "mess" in the Church continues with chaos in the African communities where polygamy is a troublesome issue in the culture. 

Cardinal Napier, Archbishop of Durban, South Africa recently tweeted: 

Before Pope Francis this was not a question. With Francis as pope everything seems to be questionable - because of course, who are we to judge?

Before Pope Francis we had: 

CONCERNING THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION BY DIVORCED AND REMARRIED MEMBERS OF THE FAITHFULVatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

[quote in part] "In some places it has also been proposed that in order objectively to examine their actual situation, the divorced and remarried would have to consult a prudent and expert priest. This priest, however, would have to respect their eventual decision in conscience to approach holy communion, without this implying an official authorization.
In these and similar cases it would be a matter of a tolerant and benevolent pastoral solution in order to do justice to the different situations of the divorced and remarried.
Even if analogous pastoral solutions have been proposed by a few fathers of the church and in some measure were practiced nevertheless these never attained the consensus of the fathers and in no way came to constitute the common doctrine of the church nor to determine her discipline. It falls to the universal magisterium, in fidelity to sacred Scripture and tradition, to teach and to interpret authentically the <depositum fidei>.
With respect to the aforementioned new pastoral proposals, this congregation deems itself obliged therefore to recall the doctrine and discipline of the church in this matter. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ, the church affirms that a new union cannot be recognized as valid if the preceding marriage was valid. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive holy communion as long as this situation persists.
This norm is not at all a punishment or a discrimination against the divorced and remarried, but rather expresses an objective situation that of itself renders impossible the reception of holy communion.[end quote]

Jesus and our Church have always been very clear on this subject. 

Catholic Catechism: 

1665 The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith.

With Francis as pope, suddenly it is a question because chaos and confusion is the new normal in our Church. 

Quote from CatholicCitizens.org: 

"For the African Church, this is a pressing issue. For example, in 2004 it was reported that nearly half of marriages in Senegal are polygamous. I know from my own former ministry in Kenya that polygamy is not at all unknown among Catholics. People in that sort of situation might well think that the admission of those in irregular second unions throws them some sort of lifeline.
Four Cardinals, as we know, have submitted five dubia to the Pope on the matter of the correct interpretation of Amoris Laetitia. Virtually every priest who has ever worked in Africa could submit a dubium on this matter too, namely, to quote Cardinal Napier: “If Westerners in irregular [marital] situations can receive Communion, are we to tell our polygamists and other ‘misfits’ that they too are allowed?”
If polygamists were ever admitted to Holy Communion for whatever reason, it would undo a century of work by the missionaries who have consistently taught that marriage is an exclusive and lifelong union between one man and one woman, and can only be dissolved by death. It would also severely damage the credibility of the Church, and undermine the authority of Scripture. Dubium means doubt, but on this matter there can be no doubt. We cannot admit polygamists to Holy Communion, whether serial ones of concurrent ones, whether Westerners or from other continents." [end quote] 

Who knew back in 2013 when the Holy Father said...

"I want to tell you something. What is it that I expect as a consequence of World Youth Day? I want a mess. We knew that in Rio there would be great disorder, but I want trouble in the dioceses!" he said, speaking off the cuff in his native Spanish. "I want to see the church get closer to the people. I want to get rid of clericalism, the mundane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures. Because these need to get out!"

...that we would be petitioning our Holy Father to clarify Holy Communion for adulterers and fornicators? 

Well Pope Francis, you have succeeded...you have given us a mess, disorder and trouble in dioceses around the world. 

I am sure your father is proud of your unholy accomplishments.

Well done, loyal servant to the devil, well done. 



In Christ, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



Links: 

https://twitter.com/CardinalNapier/status/816969704489308160

http://catholiccitizens.org/news/69452/african-cardinal-asks-good-question-communion-polygamists/

http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFDIVOR.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130725/lt-brazil-pope/?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=world