Catholic Bishops to issue pastoral letter
Malawi Catholic Bishops will release a patrol letter at the end of the 40-days of Lent this year which will tackle social ills in the country, Nyasa Times understands.
Catholic members in the country and around the world are now observing the season of Lent. According to sources at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, the Pastoral Letter will be issued during the feast of Easter at the end of the period.
“The Catholic Bishops have drafted a strongly worded letter reminiscent of the one which challenged the prevailing culture of silence during the one-party dictatorship of Dr. Kamuzu Banda,” said a source.
In the historical “Living Our Faith,” Pastoral Letter of 1992, the bishops reproached the Banda regime for its authoritarianism and lack of representative democracy; not as biased proponents of specific political groups but rather as champions of accountability, respect for human rights and human dignity.
Priestly sources in the church say this year’s draft Lenten letter denounces human rights abuses and the deliberate suffocation of freedom of expression by the Bingu wa Mutharika administration; its corruption and blatant stealing in government, and ills elsewhere in the private sector especially in business.
The bishops also condemn rampant immorality in private life and call for a “communal renewal”.
According to the sources, the letter says that renewal demands justice restitution for the government’s victims.
The letter is expected to be severely critical of the present government, particularly in the area of nepotism.
Meanwhile, Catholics on Sunday observed the Fourth Sunday of Lent – which is regarded by many as the midpoint of the season of Lent.
Throughout the country the church is asking its congregations to acknowledge their sinfulness and be reconciled with God as they near the celebration of Easter.
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