Media urged to embrace professional ethics as Catholic Church commemorates Social Communications Day

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Celebrations marking the 60th World Social Communications Day have been held at Rubaga Cathedral in Kampala city with a call on media practitioners to strictly observe the ethics of the profession.

The celebration on May 17, 2026, was presided over by Kampala Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere, who put it to the media practitioners to promote positive human relations, peace and development as they do their work. He said the media profession was a divine vocation, which had to be practised with responsibility and fairness.

“You, the social communicators, are very important people. You give us good news. You tell us the wrong things we do and advise us accordingly. You are agents of evangelisation. We thank you for your commitment,” Ssemogerere said.

Catholic communicators share a group photo-moment with Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere (wearing a mitre) during the commemoration of the 60th World Social Communications Day at Lubaga Cathedral on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

Catholic social communicators carrying offertory during mass.

Constantly referring to the message of Pope Leo XIV, Ssemogerere asked media workers and influencers to use artificial intelligence with total prudence and honesty. He warned that, in spite of its many advantages, AI could pose serious dangers if used wrongly.

He mentioned, among others, character-assassination, defamation through AI-crafted images and voices, as some of the manifestations of AI misuse that has tinted social communications.

“Pope Leo XIV appreciated the goodness of artificial intelligence but also cautioned us against its misuse. We must be very careful not to totally rely on it as the omniscient source of knowledge and answers to our problems. As we use it, we must not allow it to replace our human relationships or lead us to renounce our faith. We must continue to listen to other people and understand their feelings. We have to retain our values of friendship, empathy and solidarity,” he said.

Ssemogerere paid tribute to the media practitioners for the role they played during the Covid lock-downs, that is, broadcasting prayers from the churches.

He nonetheless expressed concern that even after the pandemic, many Christians had not gone back to Church and preferred to follow prayers passively on their TV screens.

He said congregating for divine worship was a Christian obligation, which was why the believers had to go to church even if they could follow the prayers on their TV screens or mobile phones.

Ssemogerere empathised with the journalists for the many challenges they get as they go about their duties.

“We know you work under difficult conditions. You are beaten, imprisoned, and sometimes even killed. We pray for you to remain strong. We also pray that those who mistreat you, just because they don’t want you to point out the wrong things they do, can refrain from it.”

Keynote speaker Dr Samuel Kazibwe (an award-winning broadcast journalist, academician and researcher) asked the media professionals to re-embrace the ancient norms and values of the trade, including uncompromised commitment to the principles of truth, integrity and the common good.

He said the Biblical scribes, philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, and the 3rd-century Catholic monks who championed social communication, regarded their work as sacrosanct, which was why society regarded them highly as embodiments of authentic knowledge and truth. 

To work for undue fame and financial enrichment at the expense of professional integrity, Dr Kazibwe said, was a very absurd practice which could not bring lasting benefits to the respective media practitioner, the profession and the country.

Kazibwe also cautioned the media professionals against irresponsible use and total surrender to artificial intelligence.

The Director of Kampala Archdiocese Social Communications Department, Fr. Joseph Mukiibi (spreading arms) delivers his message of thanksgiving. With him are some of the members of his team.

Bukedde Editor Michael Ssebowa with his wife Maggie Ssebowa during the Pontifical mass of the commemoration of the 60th World Social Communications Day at Lubaga Cathedral on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

“The mistake of the digital age is that technology has been allowed to prevail over human creativity. Fake news is not just false information. Changing the context of the story or giving the story a headline that does not correspond with its content, is also fake news. We must not allow AI to replace us or kill our creativity. Let us use it responsibly to advance society, to do research, and to advance societal harmony and development,” Kazibwe said.

The remarks of Kazibwe were also echoed by chief guest, Mathias Katamba (a celebrated governance, leadership and strategy consultant) who urged the media people not to fight AI but to ensure that it does not harm their creativity and critical thinking. He also asked them to be original, authentic and transparent as they do their work.

During the function, the Director of the Social Communications Department of Kampala Archdiocese, Fr. Joseph Mukiibi announced plans to start-up income-generating projects to make the department self-reliant.

The function was graced by many dignitaries, including the head of the Laity of Kampala Archdiocese, Emily Kitto Mwaka (and her council), the Secretary of the Social Communications Commission of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Fr. Phillip Odii, and the ED of Centenary Bank, Michael Opira, just to name a few.

The celebration ran under the theme: Preserving human voices and faces.