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Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, the deputy speaker of parliament, has advised Ugandans to use their right to freedom of speech to better themselves rather than to exploit it to spread hate and asked the church to teach against hate speech.

The Kampala Archdiocese hosted the 57th World Social Communications Day liturgy service on Sunday, May 14. Tayebwa, who was the guest of honour, asked the church to teach peace and unity and speak out against bigotry, intolerance, and xenophobic media messages.

Although the government of President Museveni has guaranteed Ugandans the right to free expression, the Deputy Speaker claims that government officials have become victims of their own making because most people, particularly on digital channels, are utilizing that right to smear them and even insult the Head of State.

“It is in Uganda where people can go on a platform and abuse the President that he is useless, and you will find a whole Head of State trying to explain how he’s not useless. In other countries, he can show you how he’s not useless but here, he spends a whole day trying to explain to people who are abusing him,” Tayebwa said.

The deputy speaker said that modern communication must continue to be a tool for fostering understanding, advancing peace, and bringing people together rather than a source of conflict and division. He was speaking alongside several MPs and King Ceasor University Chancellor and Vietnam’s Consul to Uganda, H.E. King Ceasor Mulenga T.G.

“We can use communication to inform, fight poverty and build families. We can use it to get people into groups that can help communities, but we can also use it to destroy. The choice is ours. As communicators, we have the power to influence opinions, shape, perceptions, and change behaviours. Therefore, we must use this power to integrate, care, ensuring that our messages are rooted in trust, empathy, and respect for others,” he said. Additionally, he urged all communicators to use social media to forge understanding, encourage peace, and build bridges.

“Let us prove to be the communicators who seek the truth, respect others and work towards the common good. Together, we can create a world where communication is a force for unity and progress rather than a force of destruction,” he added.

The society Day of Social Communications is an invitation to all media users and professionals to adopt ethical standards and help create a more fair and interconnected society.

The mass’ emcee, His Grace, Rt. Rev. Paul Ssemogerere, the Archbishop of Kampala Diocese, urged Catholics and all other communicators to cultivate a friendly manner of communication that can persuade hearts to soften.

In addition to empathizing with the idea that “friendly conversations can open a breach even in the most hardened of hearts,” he also noted that those who read or listen to communicators who share information through friendly exchanges are compelled to share in the “joys, fears, hopes, and suffering of the women and men of our time.”

The prelate laments that “not even the church itself is immune” to the “polarizations and contrasts” that characterize modern life.

In his remarks for the 57th World Social Communication Day, the archbishop elaborated on the theme of “Speaking with the heart: The truth in love,” which is found in St. Paul’s letter to (Ephesians 4:15). He said that since “We are all called to seek and speak the truth and to do so with charity,” “We should not be afraid of proclaiming the truth, even if it is at times uncomfortable, but of doing so without charity, without heart.”

His Grace Ssemogerere exhorted everyone to communicate with courage and “with heart,” to listen and talk with open hearts, and to speak the truth in love. The only way, according to him, “that we encounter each other and help one another to encounter something more, someone more,” and “to be caressed by the mercy of God,” is through this.

Rt. Rev. Joseph Franzelli, chair of the Uganda Episcopal Conference’s (UEC) Communications Commission, urged Catholic media workers in Uganda to work together and cooperate more.

In order for the information they impart to touch people’s hearts, Bishop Franzelli advised the communicators to undergo a mental and emotional transformation. He claimed that this could only be accomplished by dedication and teamwork. In order to foster comprehension among the audience, he further stressed the need for the communicators to make a sincere commitment to carrying out their duties efficiently