Zambia Catholic Bishops Reaffirm Commitment to Journey with Leaders, Call for Shared Responsibility in Nation Building

Lusaka, 18 December, 2025 / 3:56 PM

Catholic Bishops in Zambia have reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to journeying with the nation’s leaders at all levels, emphasizing the importance of shared responsibility in building a just society for the common good of all in the Southern African nation.

In their Thursday, December 18 Pastoral letter for the closure of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope at the national level, the members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) called on all leaders across political, civic, traditional, and religious sectors to govern with integrity and embrace responsible servant leadership.

“We reaffirm the Church's commitment to continue journeying with you as fellow "Pilgrims of Hope" in truth and love,” the Catholic Church leaders said.

The ZCCB members explained that the hope, which they said has been the central reference point of all the activities that characterised “the now-concluding Jubilee Year 2025,” is not “mere optimism,” but “one of the three infused theological virtues, alongside faith and charity, that anchors us in the promises of God, even amid trials.”

The Church in Zambia they said “is called to continue being a beacon of hope to accompany the suffering and advocate for justice, peace and national unity.”

In their message on the conclusion of the year-long spiritual initiative that the late Pope Francis officially launched on the Eve of Christmas 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Zambia Catholic Bishops urged leaders in the country to promote and nurture a culture of political dialogue grounded in truth and the protection of human dignity and the common good.

The ZCCB members highlighted key areas requiring national attention, including education, healthcare, employment, and the safeguarding of natural resources and the environment.

They said, “We call upon all leaders to promote education, healthcare, employment for all and to safeguard our natural resources and environment.”

The Catholic Bishops underscored the importance of “inclusive and democratic citizen participation,” urging the country’s political leaders to guarantee freedom of religion “beyond mere freedom of worship.”

“Preserving the peace and unity we have enjoyed since independence is a shared responsibility,” the Bishops noted, and went on to encourage the leaders to guide the country’s “national discourse and development” and promote the spirit of reconciliation.

They also underscored the responsibility of every individual in nation-building, noting, “It is our collective responsibility to build a Zambia where 'justice flows like a river and uprightness like a never-failing stream.”

“We entrust our Church and nation to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Hope, and to the protection of our nation's Patrons Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael the Archangels,” Zambia Catholic Bishops said in the December 18 statement.