LILONGWE MAY 29, 2018 (CISA) – Archbishop Tarsizio Gervazio Ziyaye has urged Catholic Institutions to demonstrate integrity, accountability and transparency in managing finances in order to secure donor trust and for sustainability of these institutions.
According to AMECEA news, the chairman of Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) was speaking on May 21, during the opening of a five-day Executive Training in Financial Management jointly organized by AMECEA and ECM at the Catholic Secretariat in Lilongwe.
“Catholic Institutions like the Catholic Secretariat, finance departments in our dioceses and seminaries must completely develop and maintain proper accounting systems and internal controls, ensuring transparency and accountability by allowing external auditing processes,” he said
He urged the institutions to develop institutional budgets and instill budgetary controls, and comply with national local government tax requirements.
He also asked ECM Finance Officers to demonstrate professionalism and manage finances with integrity and make ethical decisions at all times as custodians of Catholic institutions finances.
He expressed appreciation to the AMECEA Secretariat for partnering with United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in offering capacity building programs, which Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has been a beneficiary.
“These programs are good because they are meant to empower agents of evangelization in the AMECEA region. As you are all aware that the church is not a maintenance church, we have to always forge ahead and therefore, you need these trainings so that you share knowledge and deepen your financial management skills for your best performance,” said The Archbishop.
He further encouraged the officers to utilize the knowledge they will gain from the training, as the bishops who entrusted them with the work of managing the finances expect them to do more.
