The Catholic Bishops of Zambia during the 2017 Extraordinary National Catholic Forum of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), have reiterated that the Church in Zambia is no longer a mission Church, but instead, it is a Church on mission. The Conference is currently taking place in the Zambian capital Lusaka and is discussing Interreligious dialogue in the advent of the emergence and growing influence of Islam and other Churches in the country.
As reported by en.radiovaticana.va, His Excellency Archbishop Telesphore- George Mpundu of Lusaka, ZCCB president, in his opening remarks on behalf of the Catholic Bishops emphasized that “The Church in Zambia should play its rightful role and duty in the work of Evangelization.” Further, His Grace added, “As people who are on a mission, we are not lone rangers, we move as a family and in the recent past, we have heard of threats to the faith and the youth are going to the Evangelicals.” His Excellency noted the threat to the Catholic faith, in Zambia, posed by the young Catholic faithful leaving the Church to join Pentecostal Evangelical Churches.
His Grace Archbishop Telesphore concluded his remarks by calling on the Churches in Zambia to re-examine how it treats its young people if the trend is to be reversed and stopped and further challenged the church in Zambia to make a difference to society and live-up to Christ’s standard of being the Salt of the earth and light of the world.
