LUSAKA JULY 18, 2017 (CISA) –Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel, Chairman of the Association of Members Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA), has applauded the Church in Zambia for 125 years of Catholic Faith.
In his message to the Church in Zambia, Cardinal Souraphiel thanked God for the gift of faith and all the Missionaries who brought the Catholic faith to Zambia, AMECEA news reported.
“We are invited to look back with gratitude to God and all the stakeholders for the achievements made, to reflect candidly on the present and see the current challenges and opportunities, and as well focus into the future with a view of coming up with better strategies for the work of evangelization,” he said.
Cardinal Souraphiel commended various pastoral initiatives through which the Catholic Church in Zambia has touched and changed the lives of many people and its role to the wider AMECEA fraternity and the entire Eastern Africa Region.
The Cardinal’s message comes just days after the Church in Zambia held a two-day (14 – 15 July) closing event to celebrate the 125 years of Catholic Faith in Zambia. The event took place at the Lusaka Show Grounds Main arena and brought together about 2000 delegates, from all the 10 Catholic Dioceses of Zambia.
Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi Most Rev. Julio Murat has, on the other hand, challenged the faithful to be today’s missionaries.
In his homily during Mass held for Catholic Bishops of Zambia who are meeting for their third 2017 plenary and Catholic Secretariat staff in Lusaka, Archbishop Murat added that the faithful should emulate the first disciples and early missionaries who left everything to follow Christ.
“There is need to leave everything, our preferences and follow Jesus. To preach the good news of Jesus, to preach the beauty of our Catholic faith with courage and firmness and more especially with our lives,” he said.
