Maravi

Catholic Church eager to fight corruption - Bishop Mulenga

Catholic Church eager to fight corruption - Bishop Mulenga
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 20 Feb. 2012, 11:59 CAT

KABWE Catholic Diocese Bishop Clement Mulenga says he will not distance himself from issues of human development and hopes to meet President Michael Sata to discuss the social and economic challenges facing Central Province.

And Bishop Mulenga says the latest Pastoral Letter by the Zambia Episcopal Conference is an indication that the Catholic Church leadership is eager to fight corruption using its social justice platform.

Bishop Mulenga also said tackling corruption head-on is part of the fight for a just society.

In an interview from Kabwe on Friday, Bishop Mulenga said he had been going round the newly-established Kabwe Diocese to acquaint himself with the socio-economic issues in the area.

"What I have been doing is to go round the Diocese and see what we have, what we don't have," Bishop Mulenga said. "To do anything, you need to know what you already have and what the people are lacking. So that is what I have been doing and then from there what we need is now to establish some sort of an office block, which we are lacking at the moment."

Bishop Mulenga said there were also other sticking points that require attention in the area, among which was the urgent need to have a boys school in the Diocese.

"There are still many other issues that will come out for sure, also talking about maybe, this Mulungushi Textiles and things of that sort, for which I will try and meet the President to talk to him and see what is there," he said.

"That is one of the hot issues at the moment but there are many other issues. For instance when you talk of the road network, it's really pathetic, the drainage system of Kabwe is a disaster. It's a big disaster in any case. And of course you talk about the issue of jobs, that is what the people lack."

Bishop Mulenga said although the above issues do not fall directly under the Church, they were in line with human development.

"Although I still need time to meet some of them, discuss some developmental issues, to see what they have in mind, to see where they think our province is going and things of that sort," he said.

And Bishop Mulenga said the reason ZEC published its January Pastoral Letter was because the Church body believes that fighting corruption was part of fighting for a just society.

Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, CENTRAL PROVINCE, CLEMENT MULENGA, CORRUPTION, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 1:29 PM