ZAMBIA: Monze Diocese Appreciates Government Support and Collaboration

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

The Diocese of Monze in Zambia’s Southern Province has appreciated government’s move to support and collaborate with the Church through the donation of a five-hectare piece of land for construction of a new Cathedral for the Diocese.

“Your gesture means a lot for all of us. It speaks volumes of your personal commitment, and that of your Government’s desire to work closely with the churches, and in particular the Catholic Diocese of Monze’s project of building a new Cathedral,” Local Ordinary of the Diocese of Monze Rt. Rev. Moses Hamungole told the Head of State President Edgar Chagwa Lungu during the occasion of the handing over the deed of the land.

In his welcoming remarks, Bishop Hamungole noted that apart from constructing the Holy Trinity Cathedral that will have a sitting capacity of about 1000 people, the land will also be used to “establish an integrated human development and formation centre which will cater for the empowerment of various vulnerable groups of people within Monze and beyond.”

“The project aims at responding to the growing needs of the community of Monze where we observed that as the local population increases, the number of vulnerable persons also grows,” Bishop Hamungole explained during the event on Saturday, July 4.

He added, “In appreciation of this enormous gift and the Church’s efforts not to leave anyone behind, this social ministry will roll out its services to the neighbouring Monze Correctional Facility.”

The Bishop who is also Chairman of Social Communications Commission of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) requested well-wishers to continue supporting the Diocese so as to realize their dream which he anticipates to be completed by 2022 “when the Diocese of Monze will celebrate Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of its existence.”

In his address, President Lungu said he has donated the land “after the request by the Church in Monze and after working out all the procedures.”

“We thought it prudent to give it to the Bishop publicly and openly so that there is no dispute to who owns this land from today on,” the President added.

He then handed over the title deed of the land to Bishop Hamungole, promising to continue with his support for the construction of the Cathedral and bringing development to the people.