Bishops’ Plenary in Namibia Lauded as Moment to Promote Vocations to Consecrated Life

Windhoek, 27 January, 2026 / 5:19 PM

The Apostolic Nuncio to Namibia has described the ongoing Catholic Bishops’ Plenary Assembly in the southern African country as an opportune moment in the life of the Church to renew commitment to promoting vocations to Priestly ministry and Consecrated Life.

Speaking at the opening session of the Plenary Assembly of the Namibian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (NCBC), Archbishop  Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński also commended the Church in the country for its closeness to the poor and the young people.

The Vatican diplomat said the Plenary Assembly is timely, adding, “This moment in the life of the Church calls us to renew with conviction our commitment to evangelisation and to the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.”

Emphasising the need for promotion of vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life, Archbishop Jagodziński said, “The pilgrimage of hope cannot continue without new witnesses, new labourers in the Lord’s vineyard, and hearts ready to respond generously to God’s call.”

“In a world that often proposes comfort without sacrifice and success without self-giving, the Church must once again courageously proclaim the beauty of following Christ totally and joyfully,” he said during the session that was held at the premises of the Secretariat of NCBC in Windhoek.

Archbishop Jagodziński explained that evangelisation is not an optional task but the very breath of the Church.  He said, “When the Gospel is announced with clarity, lived with coherence, and witnessed with joy, vocations are born and nurtured.”

The Polish diplomat reminded the Catholic Bishops in Namibia that as pastors, they have a unique and irreplaceable role in fostering a culture of vocation within their Dioceses.

The Nuncio urged the Bishops in the country to encourage families to become the first seminaries of faith, accompany young people with patience and trust, as part of the means to foster a culture of vocation in their respective Dioceses.

The Polish diplomat, who also represents the Holy Father in Lesotho, Botswana, and Eswatini, urged the Bishops to also ensure that their communities are places where questions about life, meaning, and service are welcomed and discerned in the light of prayer.

He said that the promotion of priestly and religious vocations is not merely about numbers or structures but about helping young men and women discover that giving one’s life to God and to others is not a loss, but a path to profound fulfilment and lasting joy.

“A Church that evangelises with zeal will always be a Church that gives birth to vocations,” Archbishop Jagodziński said.

The Pope’s representative also lauded the Church in the Southern African nation for its “pastoral creativity”, which he says has transformed local churches into what he describes as “houses of peace.”

“The Church in Namibia has a precious mission. Your pastoral creativity, your closeness to the people, your attention to the young, the poor, and those on the margins, all contribute to making your local Churches true ‘houses of peace’”, Archbishop Jagodziński said in his Monday, January 26 address.

The Nuncio said that the witness of the Church can help keep hope alive and prevent discouragement from taking root in a society facing both visible and hidden challenges.

In his address, the Vatican diplomat also reflected on the nature of peace that the world requires in reference to Pope Leo XIV's message for the World Day of Peace on January 1.

“The Holy Father also reminds us that an unarmed peace does not mean passivity or indifference. It means the courageous rejection of violence as a solution and the patient commitment to dialogue, justice, mercy, and reconciliation,” he said.

The Nuncio added, “Goodness itself is disarming. God chose not the language of force, but the vulnerability of a child; not domination, but love. The Incarnation teaches us that true strength is revealed in humility, and that hearts are changed not by fear, but by compassion.”

“As we reflect on the fruits of the Jubilee of Hope, may we allow the Lord to continue the work of disarming our hearts, freeing us from resentment, impatience, and anxiety, so that we may walk together in the light of the Lord,” he said.

Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Archbishop Jagodziński said that the vision of “swords transformed into ploughshares, fear giving way to fraternity, and nations learning war no more” remains their horizon.

Expressing his spiritual solidarity with the Catholic Bishops in Namibia as they begin their Plenary Session, the Nuncio implored, “May the peace of the Risen Christ dwell richly in your hearts, guide your deliberations, and strengthen you in your ministry.”

“Let us walk forward together, pilgrims of hope, servants of peace, and witnesses of the Gospel,” he said.