Saulos Chilima hails Catholic Church on development
By Feston Malekezo & Yamikani Sabola, Mana:
Vice-President Saulos Chilima has hailed the Catholic Church for its contribution to the development of the country and for fostering economic stability of Malawians.
Chilima made the remarks in Karonga District during the opening of Karonga Diocese new office complex which have been built with about K800 million.
He said the church has been demonstrating strong commitment in uplifting people’s livelihoods through the provision of various services such as education and health.
“This is a true spirit of financial independence and self-reliance which is in line with the Malawi 2063, our national development blueprint,” Chilima said.
In his homily, Archbishop Desmond Tambala of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe has called on religious leaders to pay attention and intervene in what he described as rising cases of suicide in the country.
“The church must intervene. It is sad to hear that a 12-year-old boy has committed suicide. Let us offer counselling and pray for our people. We must really intervene,” Tambala said.
Police reports indicate that 116 cases of suicide have been recorded in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to 88 recorded during the same period last year.
In his speech, Father Joseph Sikwese of Karonga Diocese said the diocese has registered remarkable growth in a number of areas since its inception in 2010.
He said the diocese had 70 primary schools at the beginning and that the figure has risen to 83 while the number of boarding secondary schools has risen to five from two.
In the area of health, Sikwese said Karonga Diocese had three hospitals and now boasts of six.
“We have also undertaken a number of development initiatives aimed at making the diocese self-sustaining financially and graduate it from dependence on aid from western countries,” he said.
Bishop of Karonga Diocese Martin Mtumbuka hailed different people who contributed to the establishment of the diocese.
They included Chilima, former vice president Khumbo Kachali, former minister Goodall Gondwe, lawyer Ralph Kasambara and Paramount Chief Kyungu.
