AFRICA/ZAMBIA - From Church founded by missionaries to missionary Church

Lusaka (Agenzia Fides) - "Out of a population of 19 million inhabitants, about 40% is Catholic, with variations from one diocese to another, according to the history of evangelization in each area", says to Fides Msgr. Ignatius Chama, Archbishop of Kasama and President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), made up of the Bishops of 11 dioceses.
"Our challenge is the spread of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches and the Islamic faith. The latter has great resources to invest in social activities that attract the poorest segments of the population. There are two entry points for Muslim preaching: on the Tanzanian side and on the Malawian side", said Msgr. Chama, who stressed that "the Catholic Church in Zambia is highly appreciated for the many institutions that are made available to all Zambians: there are a good number of clinics and hospitals, from schools to universities".
On a social level, the President of the ZCCB states that "at the moment the greatest concern is the high unemployment which especially affects young people". The new government came to power in August 2021 on the basis of a program aimed at increasing employment, raising high hopes that have so far been dashed. Unfortunately, not only has the situation not changed but on the contrary the level of poverty continues to rise," underlines Msgr. Chama.
"The prices of basic necessities, including food, are high, largely due to the increase in fuel costs caused by the war in Europe. Fortunately, a large part of the population still lives in rural areas and can cultivate the land to get something to eat. Life in the city is harder because if you don't have a job you depend on someone else to survive. The most difficult situation is that of the inhabitants of the shanty towns (townships) of the cities".
From an ecclesial point of view, the Church in Zambia is largely run by the local clergy. "Most of our parishes are run by local clergy," says the President of the ZCCB. "And even when the parishes are in the hands of religious congregations, the religious who attend them are mostly Zambians. The percentage of foreign missionaries in our country is very small, compared to the local clergy".
"Our Church was founded by missionaries partly European and partly American," adds Msgr. Charles Joseph Sampa Kasonde, Bishop of Solwezi and Vice President of the ZCCB. "We are grateful to the White Fathers from France, Canada, Italy, Switzerland and the missionaries of other congregations in Ireland, Great Britain and other countries. These missionaries instilled in us the missionary spirit and now we have become a Church that sends missionaries abroad, to Europe, America and other areas, including our own country. We are very happy and hopeful for the missionary spirit that animates the younger generations, thanks also to the work of Missionary Childhood".
The Church in Zambia has deep fraternal ties with the Church of Malawi, a country recently affected by tropical cyclone Freddy (see Fides, 18/3/2023). "As a Bishops' Conference, we immediately send aid to our brothers in Malawi, with whom we have very strong ties," says Msgr. Chama. "Our government did the same, which sent loads of food, clothing, blankets and medicine to our brothers and sisters in Malawi," added Msgr. Kasonde. "The peoples of Zambia and Malawi are very close, to the point that we feel almost the same country because of the ties that unite us, including the linguistic ones," concludes the Bishop of Solwezi. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 30/3/2023)

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