Sr. Mary Anne Padilla, FSP in collaboration with Sr. Consolata Manding gave keynote speeches on Media in Peacebuilding to the journalists and media practitioners of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and the neighboring dioceses during the Culture of Peace workshop last September 3, 2011 at Budgetel, Cagayan de Oro City.
The talk was in response to the request of the Commission on Interreligious Dialogue (ECID) chaired by Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, DD
The COP workshop was aimed to initiate participants in interreligious and peacebuilding initiatives and to strengthen preexisting peacebuilding activities.
Sr. Padilla gave an overview of the Church Teachings on Media in peacebuilding as stated in the Church documents such as Inter-Mirifica, which states that media are gifts of God to Humanity for the service and integral development of all peoples.
While Sr. Manding gave a talk on the important bridging role of media in interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding, stating that news must always be verified before their release to avoid conflict in all forms.
“To be a journalist, you must be conscientious individual who record events, verifies facts and interprets them at the service of the community, independence from faction, monitor power, offer voice to the voiceless, and make news comprehensive and proportional,” she said
The workshop allowed participants to contribute ideas for the development of possible modules that underscore skills training to be used in similar workshops in the future.