The Catholic Church is to operate a television channel to produce content and programmes to project the faith and moral values of the gospel according to the teachings of the Catholic Church such that many will be informed and be reformed.
The television channel to be known as Lumen Christi TV, which will broadcast in English, French and Ghanaian Languages, will serve as an effective instrument to teach and ensure the realisation of the basic social principles of the Catholic Church.
An amount of one million U.S. Dollars (US$1,000,000.00) is required to set up the Lumen Christi TV and commence operations. It is expected that this amount will be raised through community funding, the reason the Catholic Church has begun series of fundraising activities for the project.
Mr Samuel Awugah, Laity Council Chairman of the Tamale Archdiocese, who gave details of the Lumen Christi TV project during its launch and town hall meeting in Tamale, said “The light of Christ has shone so brightly in Ghana, but we hardly project that light for the world to see. Lumen Christi TV will serve as the standpoint on which we will place the lamp of Christ.”
The event, held on the theme: “Living the Authentic Christian Social Teachings through Mass Media Evangelisation”, was used to raise funds to support the project.
The Ghana News Agency gathered that later, an Initial Public Offer (IPO) will be organised where individuals, groups, and societies within the Church will participate to generate more capital to support the project.
Mr Awugah said the focus for Lumen Christi Catholic Media Limited would be the production of content and programmes, which would be transmitted and broadcast in English, French and the local languages by a strategic partnership arrangement with Crystal Radiovision Network Limited (Crystal TV) through a channel on its network.
He explained that “The newly planned broadcasting operation will close the chapter on the rather commercially subdued broadcasting service dubbed the ‘Catholic Digest’ carried as a 30-minute programme on GTV and on a Crystal TV Channel with support from the network for over the twenty years.”
He said “the new broadcasting operation is to be infused with rich and diverse programme content to serve as a basis for sponsorship and viewership appeal” adding, the broadcast and transmission would be done via digital terrestrial and satellite modes to provide coverage for all the 19 Dioceses and the only Vicariate of the Church whilst the satellite broadcast would reach the entire African continent.
He said “Jesus Christ is the light of the world, and the Church as his Bride must proclaim this light from the rooftops of Lumen Christi TV-Ghana. We are baptised to evangelise. May we put together our ideas and passions, resources and strategies to evangelise through Lumen Christi TV.”
The Most Rev. Philip Naameh, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, and President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference emphasised the need for all to give generously towards the project.
Reverend Adu Amoakohene Don-Peters, Secretary of Local Council of Churches said current developments made it even more imperative to evangelise through the mass media.
He lauded the Lumen Christi TV project and gave assurance of Local Council of Churches’ utmost support for the project.
Reverend Monsignor Matthew Yitiereh, outgoing Vicar General and Bishop-Elect of the Yendi Diocese urged participants during the launch and the town hall meeting to promote the reasons for the establishment of the Lumen Christi TV, which was “To live the authentic Christian social teachings through mass media evangelisation.”
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf, commended the Catholic Church for not relenting on its efforts to operate a television station in the country in spite of the several unsuccessful attempts it made towards fulfilling this dream since 1993.
Alhaji Saibu suggested to the Management of the Lumen Christi TV to consider airing programmes that would specifically target and spiritually stimulate the youth of the Church, considering modern trends and culture as means of retaining them in the Church.
