MALAWI: Sunday Collection to Go to Cyclone Freddy Survivors
Sam Kalimba
Archbishop George Desmond Tambala President of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) and prelate of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe has decreed that Sunday collection for 19 March, 2023 from all the 46 parishes in the Metropolitan be sent direct to the ECM’s Malawi Flood Emergency Response bank account.
According to Archbishop Tambala, the catastrophe that has hit the Southern Malawi is a national issue and it was necessary for him to act as decreed. He said this as he was making his weekly address on Radio Alinafe the official radio station for the Archdiocese.
“What our brothers are experiencing in the south should make us cry for we are all one body. If the body functions properly, it feels the pain of the fraction of it in pain. So, it is normal that we come in to assist in a big way. Come to Church on Sunday not in an ordinary and usual way. It is a Sunday of prayer, praying for our brothers and sisters but also it is going to be a Sunday of alms giving. Let us all take part in this noble act of our faith. This is how we profess our faith in Christ and indeed pronounce our solidarity with those in need,” he addressed.
“I urge all the priests and the laity to form special committees for this special Sunday Offertory and put on record what they will have collected. They should send to the Archdiocese Administration bank deposit slips for accountability purposes. However, this is not enough. We need those to execute the final delivery of the assistance to ensure that the intended beneficiary is assisted accordingly,” he said to underscore transparency and accountability in handling the collection.
He has in the same address asked all groups that are mobilizing the resources through other channels such as social media but in the name of the Catholic Church to channel the resources direct to the survivors and intended beneficiaries.
The Archbishop of Lilongwe has since sent his deep thought condolences to the Church in Blantyre, Chikwawa and Zomba for the loss of people in his address.
On the scene, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Blantyre Most Rev. Thomas Luke Msusa had a busy day on 15 March when he visited and officially handed over relief items to the beneficiaries at one of the evacuation centres being managed by the Archdiocese. He also visited some survivors receiving treatment at one of the Catholic hospitals in the Archdiocese apart from inspecting the damage caused by Freddy.
At the time of reporting, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs indicated that 225 people had died with 707 injured and 41 reported missing.
The Episcopal Conference of Malawi made an official call for support on 14th March through the office of the Secretary General, just a short while after the Office of the President and Cabinet declared the affected 10 districts being in state of disaster. Archbishop Tambala hinted that the Church had already contacted well-wishers before releasing the statement on the catastrophe.
All the 10 districts affected by Cyclone Freddy belong to the ecclesiastical province of Blantyre and specifically in the dioceses of Chikwawa, Zomba and Archdiocese of Blantyre.
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