President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has described church as an instrument of peace and unity amongst citizens in the country.
He made the remarks Saturday during the enthronement of William Mchombo, the third Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Shire, at St. Peters and Paul Cathedral in Mangochi.
Chakwera called for unity and reconciliation amongst Malawians, saying despite differences in tribes, politics, as well as religion, are one to God.
Today is a day of celebration. What God has done to the Anglican Diocese is an inspiration to our spiritual lives. Congratulations to the Anglican church, and we are very happy for you.
“As we are celebrating, let us not forget that we are all Gods Children, and that we are one in his image. As such whenever we have assembled in a church, let us pray as one citizen,” he said.
The President asked citizens to be the first ones in promoting the country, and be proud of Malawians who are doing tremendous achievements across the world.
“Let us get united when promoting our country, and whenever we hear good stories of fellow Malawians who are achieving across the World, let us all be proud of them.
“Let us get united on development. We should be proud of developments that were brought by our predecessors including developments that are currently taking shape, because castigating each other cannot take us anywhere,” Chakwera said.
Following the impact of flooding of water bodies in Mangochi, the President directed the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) to assist the affected communities with relief items.
Head of Anglican Province of the Central Africa, Archbishop Dr. Albert Chama asked the new Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire to love everyone, and properly guide both the church and the government.
He said it has not been an easy journey for the Anglican church to appoint the next Bishop of the Upper shire, after the predecessor, Brighton Malasa left the office.
It has been a roughly journey. But we kept on praying, and here we are. We therefore thank God for this, Chama said.
The new Bishop assured the resident that he shall collaborate with his government in development and governance.
Born on August 21, 1962, Mufulira District in Zambia, Bishop Mchombo is a first born son in a family of nine children from Malawian parents of Juma Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Maganga in Salima district.
He has been transferred to Malawi from the Diocese of Eastern Zambia, where he served as Bishop.
Mchombo replaces Brighton Malasa who left the office in October 2022. The Diocese has stayed one and half a year without Bishop, following internal disagreements between the Anglican followers.
The Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire covers districts of Mangochi, Machinga, Zomba, Balaka, Ntcheu, Mwanza, Neno, and some part of Dedza.
Amongst delegates to the ceremony included senior religious leaders and followers within the Anglican diocese, and those from eastern Zambia, as well as from other churches.
Others includes Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara, Cabinet Ministers, as well as other government officials. The Central Africa Province covers Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
