Yesterday, we had the Presbyteral Council meeting, which included all priests of the Diocese. In territory, Solwezi is a huge diocese with a small population scattered throughout the Northwestern Province. Being late comers, the Catholics are in a minority in this province. Like most of the dioceses in Zambia, the Diocese of Solwezi is heavily dependent on money received from outside for the daily running of its pastoral programmes. Most of the help come from our Catholic brothers of Europe and America. This sharing between churches comes from the beginning of Christianity and it has always been there. St. Paul urged the Christians of Corinth to contribute in order to help the Church in Jerusalem in their time of need. We can say that this sharing between churches is part of being catholic. However, when it is one sided, it creates dependence, and dependence destroys responsibility and commitment.
The economic crisis in Europe and the dwindling contributions of the Catholics in those countries is forcing us to rethink our situation and to make an effort to sustain ourselves. It is a duty of all Christians to take care of their church. And we should not complain about the lack of means. In Bemba, there is a proverb that says: Apali umunwe, pali ne bala, meaning Where there is a hand, there is a farm. We should not underestimate our capabilities and our resources. It is true that in a rural set up, people have little cash to give, but they cultivate and can cultivate much more in order to produce enough for themselves and for the work of the community. The bishop proclaimed this year as the year of self-sustainability, in which all of us must do a concerted effort to increase substantially the local contribution in order to diminish our dependence and in order to be proud of our own Church.
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