Ndalatando - The bishop of the diocese of Ndalatando, in the northern province of Cuanza Norte, Dom Almeida Kanda, has urged women in general to make rational use of the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), given their negative impact on human identity.
According to the prelate, the misuse of ICT can contribute to altering human identity.
He expressed concern that the misuse of these technologies increases the risk of unemployment, as human labour is being replaced by machines, having a negative impact on family life.
The Catholic prelate made these remarks during his speech on the third day of the diocesan pre-congress for the Promotion of Women in the Catholic Church (Promaica), which took place last week in Ndalatando.
He also considered that the misuse of social media is contributing to the distancing of people and the loss of interpersonal relationships.
The bishop, who was speaking during a lecture on "Promaica and Social Media", called on families to prioritise things that are essential for the well-being of their homes, rather than spending many hours on technological equipment, which should be considered secondary.
Nevertheless, Dom Almeida Kanda recognised that good use of social media can contribute to good communication and bring people together, even on distant continents.
In turn, journalist Lucas Leitão, who chaired the debate, called on families to make the right use of social media, as it is a factor in reducing inter-affective relationships and negatively altering the behaviour of children, adolescents and adults.
He highlighted the paradox caused by the social media which connects people who are far away and drives away those who are closer.
Dom Almeida Kanda expressed his concern about people who, despite being in the same place, communicate via social media.
He warned the women of Promaica to beware of misleading adverts used by criminals on social media to extort money and kidnap people.
He also referred to the advantages of using ICT, especially in terms of the flow of information and carrying out commercial and financial transactions through the internet, using mobile phones.
The meeting was attended by Promaica women from the 10 municipalities of Cuanza Norte Province.
The event covered subjects such as the challenges facing women in society, responsible fatherhood and motherhood, marriage from a religious and sociological perspective, illiteracy and its consequences, Promaica and social media, among others.
The event was aimed at electing delegates from Cuanza-Norte to Promaica's national congress, to be held in Luanda in August this year.
Promaica is a social and religious organisation, founded in 1990 by the then bishop of the diocese of Benguela, Dom Óscar Braga, with a focus on charity, resilience and overcoming women in various fields.
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