Message of the IMBISA standing committee
to the bishops, clergy and all people of good will
in the IMBISA region
to the bishops, clergy and all people of good will
in the IMBISA region
We, the members of the IMBISA Standing Committee, meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, reflected on the situation of our Region in this period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. It became clear to us that quite a number of countries are going through a difficult period. This is due to a variety of factors, though the major cause seems to be related to lack of good governance.
This is seen primarily in lack of accountability, a culture of entitlement and rampant corruption. The Covid-19 pandemic made a bad situation worse in our countries. We have witnessed acts of corruption connected with the misappropriation of resources which were ear-marked for the alleviation of those affected by the pandemic.
Many young people, who have all along been waiting on the side-lines and not participating effectively in the economy, are fast losing hope that things will ever change. In fact, some of our countries have witnessed troubling scenes with violence and looting at a grand scale. The end result of this is displacement of peoples. The receiving countries and communities, normally lack resources to even cater adequately for their own, find it even more difficult to cope with the added responsibility. On occasion this brings about tensions between the new arrivals and the locals.
Our Lord exhorts us to be the light of the world and salt of the earth (cf. Mt. 5:13-14). Pope Francis never grows tired in exhorting all to embark on a path of true human fraternity where the common good can be promoted at all times and at all levels.
This is seen primarily in lack of accountability, a culture of entitlement and rampant corruption. The Covid-19 pandemic made a bad situation worse in our countries. We have witnessed acts of corruption connected with the misappropriation of resources which were ear-marked for the alleviation of those affected by the pandemic.
Many young people, who have all along been waiting on the side-lines and not participating effectively in the economy, are fast losing hope that things will ever change. In fact, some of our countries have witnessed troubling scenes with violence and looting at a grand scale. The end result of this is displacement of peoples. The receiving countries and communities, normally lack resources to even cater adequately for their own, find it even more difficult to cope with the added responsibility. On occasion this brings about tensions between the new arrivals and the locals.
Our Lord exhorts us to be the light of the world and salt of the earth (cf. Mt. 5:13-14). Pope Francis never grows tired in exhorting all to embark on a path of true human fraternity where the common good can be promoted at all times and at all levels.
Let us return to promoting the good. Every society needs to ensure that values are passed on; otherwise, what is handed down are selfishness, violence, corruption in its various forms, indifference and, ultimately, a life closed to transcendence and entrenched in individual interests (Fratelli Tutti, 113).
We thus wish to encourage the following:
- The practice of solidarity, especially with the weakest and needy members of society, migrants, refugees and other displaced persons. This includes the attitude of welcoming those who knock on our doors searching for basic needs whether they have come from the same country or other countries.
- On-going formation at all levels in the Church in promoting the common good. This should especially be offered to those who wish to assume political office. “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good” (Evangelii Gaudium, 205).
- Supporting efforts by governments and other institutions in the promotion of public health as we go through the pandemic. We believe it is an act of love to be vaccinated for Covid-19 and we encourage everyone to do so.
- We believe in the importance of prayer and encouragement for all Health Care Workers during the period of the pandemic and those who have suffered under various ills during this period as well as those who have died.
+Lucio Andrice Muandula
Bishop of Xai-Xai, Mozambique
President of IMBISA
10 September 2021
