Let “your fraternal dialogue bear fruits”: Pope Francis to Assembly of Catholic Bishops in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe

While imparting his blessings “as a pledge of peace and Joy in the Lord,” the Holy Father “entrusts the sub-region conference to the intercession of the Mary Mother of the Church.”

Organized under the theme, “Building Bridges, Strengthening Faith, Unity and Service”, the July 14-19 assembly is the second, after that of February 2020. The ECM, ZCCB, and ZCBC members are seeking to have “a platform for Bishops to come together, fostering unity among different regions and promoting collaboration on common issues.”

In their three-day maiden consultative meeting in Zambia, the three-nation Catholic Bishops outlined their short-term intention to remain within their respective regional Bishops’ Conferences and the long-term one of delinking their national Conferences to form a sub-regional Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“The project envisions that in the short-term, Malawi and Zambia will continue to belong to the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) and Zimbabwe to the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) respectively,” they said in a statement. 

In the 5 February 2020 statement, the Catholic Church leaders said that “in the long-term, the sub-region will be delinked from AMECEA and IMBISA respectively.”

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In September 2023, ECM President indicated that the July 2024 Sub-Region Conference would deliberate on various challenges bedevilling the people of God in the three African countries of Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Malawi’s President, Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera acknowledged with appreciation the opportunity his country has to host the sub-region conference of Catholic Bishops.

In his address at the end of the opening Eucharistic Celebration on July 16, President Chakwera said, “As a nation, we are honoured to host this historic conference and I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for the solidarity that Malawi continues to enjoy from her neighbours.” 

He acknowledged the support Malawi received from her neighbours during the COVID-19 pandemic that he said “claimed the lives of thousands and brought our economy to a halt.”

The Malawian President also recognized the solidarity from neighbours following the effects of the 2022 cyclones Anna and Gombe and the 2023 Cyclone Freddy.

He also highlighted the Cholera outbreak and the plane crash that claimed the life of Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Chilima, as additional situations that solidarity with neighbouring countries was made manifest. 

“From the bottom of my heart I say thank you for your solidarity and thank you for your prayers and I wish you a great conference,” President Chakwera told ECM, ZCCB, and ZCBC members on July 16.

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