Zambia’s Monze Diocese Gets Boost in New Cathedral Project with Land from Government

Lusaka, 06 July, 2020 / 10:00 PM

The people of God in the Catholic Diocese of Monze in Zambia received a boost in the plans to put up a new Cathedral when, on Saturday, July 4, the Government handed over a five-hectare piece of land to the Local Ordinary, Bishop Moses Hamungole.

“This piece of land will be used for the construction of the new Holy Trinity Cathedral in our Diocese with a sitting capacity of 1,000 people,” Bishop Hamungole said at the July 4 event and thanked the Government of Zambia for the gesture of collaboration.

The new Cathedral project aims at responding to the growing needs of the community of Monze where “we have observed that as the local population increases, the number of vulnerable persons also grows,” Bishop Hamungole explained.

“Our dream is to complete the cathedral project by the year 2022, when the Diocese of Monze will be celebrating its diamond jubilee. We count on your support and prayers,” Bishop Hamungole said and implored.

He invited “all people of goodwill to contribute generously for the realization of this project.”

“Apart from constructing the Holy Trinity cathedral, the diocese of Monze will be working with some partners to finalize plans to establish an integrated human development formation center, which will cater for and empower various vulnerable groups within Monze and beyond,” the Local Ordinary of Monze disclosed.

The piece of land is a “generous gift not only to the Monze Diocese but greatly so to the work of God as it remains a valuable resource,” the 52-year-old Zambian Prelate who is also the Chairman of the Commission for Social Communications of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) said.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu who graced the July 4 event said that his government decided to avail the land, which was part of the Southern African nation’s Correctional Service “following a request from the Catholic Church in Monze.”

President Lungu said that his government attaches great importance to the role that the Catholic Church plays in the national development of the country.

“The government is working in collaboration with the Church through the ministry of national guidance and religious affairs to support our people even in the most challenging times like the current COVID-19 pandemic that we are all fighting,” President Lungu said.

He presented the Title Deed of the land to Bishop Hamungole to signify that the land has been given to the Church and promised to support the fundraising initiative for the construction of Monze’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.