The Bishop of Zambia’s Solwezi Diocese has emphasized the need for the implementation of programs that contribute to the realization of “integral human development” in his Episcopal See.
Bishop Charles Kasonde who was speaking during the Caritas Solwezi Annual General Meeting (AGM) organized under the theme, “Attaining Integral Human Development” emphasized the need “to listen to God” and to foster fraternal relationships devoid of discrimination.
“The theme that guides us, Attaining Integral Human Development through quality service delivery, is a desired goal that we would want to realize.”
Bishop Kasonde has been quoted as saying in a report that the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) published Friday, October 14.
In the report, the Zambian Bishop says that attaining integral human development “is very important in the sense that it is centred on a human person. Service should be given to all people equally regardless of their background or affiliations, Bishop Kasonde has been quoted as saying, adding, “Our agenda is to listen to God, what God is telling us. From there it is interacting with our brothers and sisters no matter who they are but made in the image and likeness of God.”
“Even the scholarships we are talking about of those that we take to school, they are not only for Catholics, but should be for a person in need,” the Local Ordinary of Solwezi Diocese who doubles as the Chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) says, adding, “Therefore, our point of interaction is service to humanity.”
Addressing himself to Caritas Solwezi officials during the AGM held at St. Kizito Pastoral Centre of Solwezi Diocese, the 53-year-old Zambian Bishop said the meeting was a time to review the service to the people of God under his pastoral care.
“What brings us here together is to look at what we pledged to do for the Diocese and the people we serve,” Bishop Kasonde has been quoted as saying.
He adds, “It is a very important meeting because we have already received the feedback through the process of notes and seen how we are applying ourselves to the goals that are set before us and also reflecting the same spirit of our diocesan strategic planning.”
The Catholic Church leader who has been at the helm of the Zambian Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in May 2010 expressed Caritas Solwezi’s commitment to partner with government, local government, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other actors “in the realization of advancing a human person and to ensure that the less privileged are also considered”.
