We, Catholic Bishops of Malawi have followed with great concern events surrounding the revelations of what appears to be massive looting of public resources dubbed as “Capital Hill Cash gate”. We have taken time to understand what is happening, to ponder and pray over these revelations and we are still shocked that such things could happen in this God fearing country. This scandal is an embarrassment to the country and an indication of serious moral decadence and dwindling levels of patriotism in our country. We are dismayed that materialism, corruption and get rich quick syndrome seem to be on the rise at the expense of truth, honesty and hard working. It is in this context, that we your pastors humbly but truthfully propose a critical reflection on the issues relating to this scandal, the impact of the looting , and call for appropriate, proportionate and timely actions .
We note in this scandal the following:
• Huge sums of public resources have been swindled for purely selfish gains at the expense of service delivery;
• A syndicate organized and cooperated to loot public resources pointing to a structural and entrenched way in which evil has taken root in our midst;
• The financial management structures and systems have been rendered powerless largely because of human machinations and lack of human integrity.
FULL TEXT IN ENGLISH
FULL TEXT IN CHICHEWA
Also:
Pastoral Letter of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi:
In English
In Chichewa
In Chitumbuka
Category: Publications Page 30 of 41
Various publications; Bulletins, magazines
We, Catholic Bishops of Malawi have followed with great concern events surrounding the revelations of what appears to be massive looting of public resources dubbed as “Capital Hill Cash gate”. We have taken time to understand what is happening, to ponder and pray over these revelations and we are still shocked that such things could happen in this God fearing country. This scandal is an embarrassment to the country and an indication of serious moral decadence and dwindling levels of patriotism in our country. We are dismayed that materialism, corruption and get rich quick syndrome seem to be on the rise at the expense of truth, honesty and hard working. It is in this context, that we your pastors humbly but truthfully propose a critical reflection on the issues relating to this scandal, the impact of the looting , and call for appropriate, proportionate and timely actions .
We note in this scandal the following:
• Huge sums of public resources have been swindled for purely selfish gains at the expense of service delivery;
• A syndicate organized and cooperated to loot public resources pointing to a structural and entrenched way in which evil has taken root in our midst;
• The financial management structures and systems have been rendered powerless largely because of human machinations and lack of human integrity.
FULL TEXT IN ENGLISH
FULL TEXT IN CHICHEWA
Also:
Pastoral Letter of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi:
In English
In Chichewa
In Chitumbuka
125th Anniversary of Cardinal Lavigerie’s Anti-Slavery campaign.
Many events and initiatives at the level of SAP during the year
As I am writing these lines, one of the major events organised at the level of SAP to mark the 125th anniversary of Lavigerie’s Anti-Slavery campaign, has just come to an end. Initially, it had been envisaged that a bus highlighting the Anti-Slavery campaign would tour through all the sectors of the Province picking up and dropping off people as it went along. As it was, the Mozambique sector was the only one able to organise this aspect of the campaign. A minibus set off from Beira on 29th August and travelled to Tete, the boom town along the Zambezi River, picking up some people from our parishes of Dombe and Sussundenga. A two day awareness event was organised in Tete and the same happened in Chimoio a week later. Hundreds of people took part. The final event took place in Beira, at the Nazaré centre, from 12th to 15th September 2013. Conferences, debates, drama, radio and television interviews took place and there was a 4-day-long continuous and interested involvement of some 80 participants. This was a considerable achievement for our confreres in Mozambique.
By Claudio Zuccala, M.Afr
FULL TEXT
TEXTE COMPLET EN FRANÇAIS
Greetings! From the East where all the wise left to pitch tents up in the North. Currently, it is rather warm and dry here, but hopefully God will be merciful to send us some few drops of his blessings.
The “Come and See” session is going on well with six young men. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit Navutika, Mary Mother of God Parish which is in being looked after by our humorous and zealous Missionary, Abambo Joe.
The Parish is very young but full of life with a diversity of pastoral activities to explore. It was interesting to go and see what is happening up there. FULL TEXT
Dear Confrère,
I have published a book called “Come closer to yourself”. It is the outcome of many retreats I directed. I truly believe that it can be an excellent tool for spiritual reflection for many of us. May I ask you to kindly make it known to the confreres of your responsibility? You can have a look at the book and its content table by typing the title “Come closer to yourself” in Google search. Google advertises the book for a couple of months. Perhaps a good present for Christmas to give to confreres, priests, Sisters?
The book can be ordered directly from the Publisher
Thank you in advance for your fraternal cooperation in this matter.
Marcel Neels, M.Afr.
Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium of the Holy Father Francis to the Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World
1. THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.
I. A JOY EVER NEW, A JOY WHICH IS SHARED
2. The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.
3. I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”.
Full text in English (571 KB – 76 pages)
Summary in French / Français (146 KB)
Interview with Vanessa Jackson who is an African-American women who shares with us her liberation journey. Her personal journey goes from trauma to power wounding. She is an activist and a “narrative therapist”. In this interview she shows to be quite critical with the traditional clinical approach to people who have been carrying wounds from systemic oppression, especially from inherited slavery. She says: “Dr. Cartwright was an expert in slave medicine and based on his observations and reports from overseers, he described a mental illness that caused slaves to run away from their natural condition of enslavement. As a pro-slavery advocate, Dr. Cartwright believed that such behavior could only be characterized as mental illness. While this term sounds completely outrageous to us today, I would argue that such terms as oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorders which are widely use to describe, medicate and incarcerate children and adolescents are modern day examples of pathologizing efforts to liberate oneself and these labels blind us to the oppression that marginalized groups, like enslaved persons and children experience when they lack power and agency.” Full Text
Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – Do everything possible to clean up politics and administration in order to regain the confidence of international donors whose aid is needed to alleviate the suffering of the population. This is the meaning of the message delivered by Chris Chisoni, Secretary General of the Commission for “Justice and Peace” of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, at a press conference at the end of the meeting of the Commissions “Justice and Peace” of 8 Catholic dioceses in the Country.
“The Church cannot just sit and watch some of the challenges Malawians are facing now hence the need for us to speak out with one voice over these issues”, said Chisoni.
International donors (European Union, Great Britain, Norway and the African Development Bank) have stopped giving aid to Malawi following the discovery of serious fraud on the use of funds received. It is estimated that at least 185 million dollars have been stolen from state coffers.
So far, fifty officials have been arrested, including the Minister of Justice, Ralph Kasambara.
In relation to the so-called “cash-gate” Chisoni said that “we want the arrest of all those involved, sparing no sacred cow”.
Representatives of Justice and Peace finally ask donors to reconsider the suspension of aid that is having serious social consequences: food shortages in certain areas of the Country, with serious risks to people; drastic decrease of school attendance and risks for next year’s harvest. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/11/2013)
Greetings from JCTRWe are happy as always to share with you the 2013 October Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka and accompanying press release. We hope this information is helpful for you.
To get more on this and other JCTR activities, please visit our website or contact us on the address and numbers indicated below. We also invite you to visit our well stocked resource room for your research and other information needs.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions, requests or comments.
We always appreciate your feedback on how you are using the Basket.
Namundi Siwale
Acting Information Officer
Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection Press Release BNB October 2013
I hope and trust that you are all fine. This year has been quiet busy for me with Fr. Mambwe leaving Kolibo Center for his new appointment. My life will now be more than ever before between Serenje and anywhere else. At present I am in Serenje with ten young men for a “Come and See” after which I shall be headed to Chipata next week 25th November to 29th for another “Come and See” with six young men.
It is good to note that the East has continued to grow as regards the number of aspirants; we can only thank the Lord and also appreciate the efforts of our confrères there, who have been so motivating and instrumental in this ministry. FULL TEXT
Sr. Carmen Sammut, the president of the International Union of Superiors General, is seen in her office at the union’s Rome headquarters Sept. 30. (NCR photo/Joshua J. McElwee)
Pope Francis is calling on Catholics “not to remain static” and to choose how they can make a difference for others, the leader of a group of 600,000 Catholic sisters and nuns around the world said.
The pope, Sr. Carmen Sammut said recently, is giving the world “great hope.” “It’s like a window opening toward something new, where the church is more seen as people of God, not just the hierarchy,” Sammut said. “It’s fascinating. You want to know what’s going to happen next.” FULL TEXT