Growth of Church in Zambia highlighted
October 24, 2014
Five decades after Zambia gained its independence, the Church there is looked on with “great respect, and her influence has grown, thanks to her prophetic voice,” said the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
Father Bernard Makadani Zulu told the Fides news agency that the nation now sends missionaries to Europe, South America, and the United States and that Catholic agencies now provide 40% of the nation’s healthcare.
“The Church has taken care of the poor, providing service to more than 200,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 100,000 children orphaned because of the virus,” he said.
According to Vatican statistics, the southern African nation of 14 million is 33% Catholic. 860 priests and 2,021 sisters serve in 316 parishes; there are 567 seminarians.
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