At IMBISA Plenary, Church in Eswatini Lauded for Development, “preaching gospel in different aspects of life”

Manzini, 25 September, 2025 / 11:50 PM

The Government of Eswatini has commended the Catholic Church for its role in fostering development and advancing the Gospel across various sectors of life, particularly in the Southern African landlocked nation.

In his address during the opening ceremony of the 14th Plenary Assembly of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) and the Golden Jubilee of the nine-member region, the minister of Education and Training for Eswatini said the “Catholic Church is more than a church.”

“Catholic missionaries, though among the last to arrive in Eswatini in 1914, quickly spread throughout the country, preaching the Gospel and bringing about development in different aspects of life,” Owen Nxumalo who represented the country’s Prime minister at the Thursday, September 25 event said.

Hon. Nxumalo added that the Kingdom of Eswatini “is truly grateful for the role that missionaries, including the Catholic Church, have played and continue to play, not only in this country but around the globe.”

“The Catholic Church is more than a Church. It is also a government partner in many aspects throughout the world. In almost all countries, we cannot speak of education without referring to the role played by the Catholic Church,” he said during the celebration that was held at Esibayeni Lodge.

The Eswatini government official said that the Catholic Church in the country has 47 primary schools, 13 high schools, one nursing college and one vocational center for people living with disabilities.

Further lauding the Catholic Church’s contribution to the country’s academic system, Hon. Nxumalo disclosed the government’s plans to transform the nursing college into a Catholic university.

Eswatini’s only Catholic Diocese of Manzini is hosting the September 24 – 29 double celebration of 14th Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee. 

The Golden Jubilee celebration has been organized on the theme,  “IMBISA Golden Jubilee: A Synodal journey, nourished by compassion and blossoming in faith as pilgrims of hope.”

Bishop José Luís Gerardo Ponce de León, during a press briefing on the IMBISA Jubilee on August 27, said 120 delegates drawn from the nine countries of IMBISA, including Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Clergy, women, and men Religious, and Laity are expected to grace the event.

IMBISA brings together members from Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

In his address on the opening day of the celebrations, the minister of education of Eswatini also acknowledged the Catholic Church’s involvement in the health sector, noting that the Church operates the Hope House hospice which he described as “a place for temporary inpatients”, seven clinics, and one hospital.

The minister who has been in charge of education in the country since 2023 attributed the Catholic Church’s developments to what he termed as “fruitful collaboration between the Church and the Government.”

“These institutions, while remaining Catholic, are to a large extent financed by the Government,” he said, and added, “We are grateful to the Church for ensuring that these institutions are led by ethical leaders.”

He noted that the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini takes pride in the construction of a boarding hostel at St. Joseph’s Mission, designed under the sponsorship of the Church, to provide care and support for persons living with disabilities.

“While the Government could have built this hostel elsewhere, we decided to build it at St. Joseph's because, to all EmaSwati, St. Joseph's is a reference point whenever the topic of disability is discussed in the country,” he said.

In his address, he also recognized the Catholic Church’s role through its development agencies such as Caritas, in caring for those living in the margins of the society, and the poor including migrants and refugees.

Hon. Nxumalo also reflected on the Church;s challenges, saying, “I am aware that what is true of the Catholic Church in our country is also true in your countries and throughout the world. We recognize the financial challenges the Church may face.”

He said that the financial issues among other challenges the Church is facing “call for deeper collaboration and understanding between the Church and the State. It is my belief that you, as religious leaders, are best placed to pursue this goal.”

“I therefore invite you all to continue the mission of transforming the world through the spread of the Gospel. The Gospel I speak of is not only declared in words but lived out through our role as citizens, our care for one another, our pursuit of justice and peace, and our call for ethical leadership,” he said.

In his welcome remarks at the opening ceremony, Bishop Ponce de León echoed the Minister’s sentiments, saying, “Together we have collaborated in numerous projects in the fields of education, health, the care of people with disabilities and refugees, peace building and many others.”

The Argentine member of the Institute of the Consolata Missionaries (IMC) singled out the Eswatini Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office as the youngest project among Church-run projects in the country.

He expressed gratitude to the government for welcoming the project as  an avenue through which “the Church may contribute to the shaping of national laws and, at the same time, can bring value closer to the people.” 

He added, “It is our prayer that this valued partnership may not only continue but also deepen in new and creative ways, so that our people may experience the fullness of life that Jesus came to bring.”

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