Malawian Priest to coordinate AMECEA Pastoral department

Prince Henderson – ECM

The Association  of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. (AMECEA) Executive Board has appointed Reverend Father Emmanuel Chimombo from Malawi  as AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator to be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Fr Chimombo
Fr Chimombo

Announcing the appointment in a statement by the Secretary General for the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Father Henry Saindi said the appointment was made during the board’s meeting in Nairobi on 19th to 20th May 2016.

“On behalf of the Catholic Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi,I write to officially announce the appointment of Reverend Father Emmanuel Chimombo as AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator,” reads part of the statement signed by Fr. Saindi.

He said Father Chimombo is expected to report at AMECEA Secretariat in June 2016.

“On behalf of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi,I take this occasion to congratulate and wish Father Chimombo God’s blessings as he take up this new position at the regional level,”said Fr. Saindi.

Until his appointment,Father Chimombo was serving as the National Pastoral Secretary and Deputy Secretary General at ECM.He replaces Father Febian Pikiti from the Archdiocese of Kasama, Zambia.

AMECEA is an acronym for Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. It is a Catholic service organization for the National Episcopal Conferences of the eight countries of Eastern Africa, namely Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Djibouti and Somalia are affiliate members.

The authority over all AMECEA’s activities rests with the Plenary Assembly of all the Bishops of the AMECEA countries. Between the Plenary Assemblies, the Executive Board takes the necessary decisions, according to the AMECEA priorities. The day to day decisions are taken on behalf of the Chairman by the Secretary General who also coordinates the AMECEA departments and institutions.

AMECEA was the brainchild of the Catholic Bishops of Tanganyika (today’s Tanzania). In 1960 they proposed, through the then Apostolic Delegation (today’s Nunciature) in Nairobi, that there be collaboration among Catholic Bishops in the region.

That time the following countries were under the Nairobi Apostolic Delegation namely Kenya, Nyasaland (today’s Malawi), Uganda, Sudan, Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia (today’s Zambia). When these other Bishops’ Conferences agreed to the necessity of working together, the then Apostolic Delegate (today’s Nuncio) Monsignor Guido Del Mestri consulted Rome. Rome gave its approval.

Among other duties that Father Chimombo will be performing as Pastoral Coordinator who department was established in 1994 will be to offer inspiration and support to pastoral departments of AMECEA churches, facilitate the exchange of ideas, research, efforts, pastoral experiences and initiatives with sister churches and to identify pastoral problems and propose relevant pastoral strategies and policies. This is achieved through visits, meetings, seminars and publications.

Fr. Chimombo comes from Mayaka Parish in the Diocese of Zomba.

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ANALYST
ANALYST
7 years ago

Kongirachulechonzi che Chimombo! Mulungu akutsogolereni pamene mukusenza udindo umenewu. M’dzina la Atate, ndi la Mwana, ndi la Mzimu Woyere. AMEN

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