President grateful to churches for supporting national development

Harare, (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed gratitude to the Church for its support of the country’s national development philosophy.

In an address to the 25th Episcopal (Silver Jubilee) ordination anniversary of Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu of the Roman Catholic Church’s Harare Diocese in the capital on Saturday, President Mnangagwa said he appreciated the fraternal nature of Bishop Ndlovu’s relationship with the government under the Second Republic.

“May I acknowledge, with a deep sense of gratitude, the work of churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, as strategic socio-economic development partners,” said the President.

“RC schools, hospitals and many other institutions have been instrumental in driving our national development imperatives, especially in the education and health sectors. Many of the leaders of our country in both the public and private sphere have passed through your schools. We look forward to the support of the Catholic Church in our quest to stamp our drug and substance abuse as well as raise morally upright, productive and patriotic young people.”

“Your personal support and that of the Church to our national development philosophy, ‘Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo’ has been invaluable in advancing accelerated development across the country. This has been critically important, given the membership base of the Catholic Church. To this end, as government, we remain grateful for the continued messages of love, peace, patriotism, unity and harmony that are preached throughout your parishes.”

He invited the church, collectively and as individuals to take up economic opportunities that become available through the policies of the Second Republic across all social and economic spheres because the obligations to build, modernise and industrialise the country is every Zimbabwean’s reposponsibility.

He said he had found the regular interactions with church leaders of various denominations at State House during which the clergy offers prayers, supplications and perspectives on various national issues to be enriching and called for continued unity and focus while preaching the culture of hard honest work, production and productivity to help drive the country’s prosperity.

Bishop Ndlovu served the Hwange Catholic Diocese in Matabeleland North for five years before moving to the Harare diocese 20 years ago, demonstrating the church’s confidence in his leadership.

The event at the Roman Catholic University premises in Waterfalls, Harare, was attended by Vice Presidents, Constantine Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, several government ministers and senior officials.

New Ziana