KIGALI, Rwanda —
Addressing a plenary in Kigali, Rwanda on August 6, 2026 Sr. Nina Krapić, Deputy Director of the Holy See Press Office, pointed out that, mainstream media often reduces Sisters’ stories to pop culture entertainment, viral dancing trends, or oddities.
She was with the view that, while fun, this dominant narrative obscures the authentic, life-changing work Sisters carry out daily. To reclaim their narrative, initiatives like the Vatican’s Pentecost Project (also known as the Sisters Project) are equipping Sisters with communication training and platforms to publish stories of their global work.
That message took centre stage at the SIGNIS World Congress from August 1-8, 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda – the first time the World Catholic Association for Communication held its assembly in an African nation.
Sr. Krapić highlighted the indispensability of Religious Women to global society. “Sisters form one of the most extraordinary human networks in the world, possessing a unique, prophetic power to counter misinformation and restore truth in an increasingly unstable media landscape.”
“In Rwanda alone, there are about 4,000 Sisters,” she noted. “If Sisters stopped working for just 24 hours, many communities in the world would experience a serious social and spiritual crisis.”
Sr. Krapić emphasised that Women Religious form an unparalleled grassroots presence. She continued to say that, on any given day, Sisters serve in hospitals, hospices, schools, and universities. They work in urban slums, educate fathers in remote villages, accompany migrants, combat human trafficking, and advocate for human dignity.
Other speakers echoed the call for Sisters to assume a larger role in journalism and digital media. Sr. Jane Wakahiu, the Associate Vice President of the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, emphasised that communication must amplify hope and dignity alongside reporting on conflict and corruption.
According to Sr. Wakahiu, Sisters’ task is not to deny the darkness. “Our task is to reveal the light that continues to shine within it. This is precisely where Catholic sisters have something unique to offer,” she stated.
The gathering brought together roughly 300 delegates, including nearly 50 Catholic Sisters, to address the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) -generated content, fake news, and growing societal distrust of media institutions.
With these words from Sr. Krapić and other speakers, Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana (CASCON-GH) is encouraged to continue to use Social Media platforms to be the voice of the voiceless – to inform, educate and to make the work of Sisters in Ghana visible.
The Catholic Sister Communicators Network-Ghana (CASCON-GH), now autonomous, was established by the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC) under the initiative of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana (CMSR-GH), and funded by Conrad Hilton Foundation.
CASCON- GH is to build communication capacity and empower Women Religious (Catholic Sisters) across various Institutes and Congregations in Ghana to directly capture, document, and share their authentic stories, apostolates, and community impacts.
Source: Global Sisters Report
By Sr. Agnes Mercy Nyatsoe, SMMC (Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana- CASCON – GH)
