Catholic Bishop-Elect in Zimbabwe Pledges to Foster “self-reliance, true local church”

He says, “It is the mission of the Church to make Christ present there. We have to find ways of how we can be a living Church in Gokwe. My commitment there is to continue with the mission of Christ.”

The Bishop-elect further expresses his understanding of Synodality, noting that it is something that has been there since the beginning of the Church, and an aspect in which the Church had distinguished herself in.

“As the local Church, I think we have done our best. However, we need to continue to enhance platforms of engagement with everyone. Platforms that allow for listening and participation of all so that no one is left behind. We need to bring an experience of unity and help people to understand that it is not only the task of certain people or the ordained but everyone has a role to play,” Mons. Nyathi says in the report that Br. Alfonce Kugwa.

He discourages all forms of competition in the Church highlighting the need for inclusive participation that facilitates growth towards spiritual maturity.

“The Church is big enough to accommodate everyone and there is no need to waste time concentrating on unnecessary competition,” the Bishop-elect who will turn 49 on August 2 says.

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He adds that his concern is to bring people together under the umbrella of Christianity where all are brothers and sisters regardless of one’s tribe or cultural background.

“The issue of tribes or cultural background should not arise at all. Our task is to go and plant the Gospel among all cultures. Everyone is invited to the Church and nobody should be left out,” he says in the report published July 25.

Born in in Hwange, a town in northwestern Zimbabwe, Mons. Nyathi was ordained a Priest in 2004 and proceeded to hold many posts in the Diocese of Hwange including Vice-Rector and Rector of Hwange Minor Seminary, and Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Parish. In 2011, he went to study Dogmatic Theology in Tenerife, Spain, where he obtained a licentiate.

Upon his return from further studies, Mons. Nyathi was assigned to Chishawasha National Major Seminary as formator and lecturer in 2015 and was appointed Vice Rector in 2016 before he landed the post of Rector in 2022. 

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