Gibson Mhaka, [email protected]
RELIGIOUS leaders from across Africa who have arrived in Bulawayo for the Pan African Religious Leaders Assembly (PARLA) Summit have hailed President Mnangagwa for championing Zimbabwe and Africa’s development, supporting the Church and national sovereignty, and creating a conducive environment for religious organisations to operate freely.
The summit, hosted by the Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) and PARLA, is being held from today to October 10 under the theme: “Rise Up: From Dependency to Self-Sufficiency — Every Nation is Built by Its Own People.”
It brings together church leaders and delegates from across Africa, with representatives from 36 countries expected to attend.
The summit will be officially opened by Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube.
Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu is also expected to address the gathering on the role of the Church in promoting trade and African self-sufficiency, including church-led strategies for economic empowerment, agriculture, enterprise development and job creation.
Tourism Minister Barbara Rwodzi is expected to lead discussions on a Pan-African Religious
Tourism Framework, focusing on the mapping, protection and development of sacred sites and strengthening collaboration between the Church and Government on visas, roads and tourism facilities.
The summit will also explore how religious tourism can ensure that pilgrimages contribute directly to local and national economies.
Senator Jabulani Sibanda, who is also Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial chairman, is expected to speak on African history, the history of the Church and its role in Pan-Africanism.
CCA founding president Bishop Dr Rocky Moyo said the summit would tackle issues affecting women, business, Church-Government relations and economic empowerment.
The first session will focus on challenges facing women across Africa, including gender-based violence and early child marriages, while subsequent sessions will examine business connections and public-private partnerships.
“We want the Church to learn how to work with the presidents that God has given them at any particular time,” Dr Moyo said, adding that churches should support their countries and work with Governments to advance development.
The summit will conclude with the Presidential Ministerial Awards Day, where churches and individuals who have made significant contributions to communities through projects such as schools and hospitals will be honoured.
CCA president for Zambia, Bishop Dr Musonda Brian Karikiti, commended President Mnangagwa for creating an environment that allowed the Church to hold the summit freely.
“Before I proceed with my interview, may I take this opportunity to thank you, our dear and beloved President of Zimbabwe, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa, for creating a good environment for the Church to come and hold our summit freely,” he said.
Dr Moyo described Zimbabwe and Zambia as one people and said the two countries shared strong historical and cultural ties.
Liberian Bishop Dr David D Danny said African churches needed to unite and become self-reliant by using the continent’s resources to develop its economies.
“We want to be self-reliant and self-supporting and to help one another instead of being divided.
There is a very important need for us to unite because, if we are united, we will be powerful,” he said.
Dr Wallah Wilson, secretary-general of Global CCA and PARLA, said the summit theme was a “clarion call” for Africans to work together towards self-sufficiency.
He commended President Mnangagwa for supporting CCA and PARLA and said the delegates had received a warm welcome in Bulawayo.
Pastor Sunungurai Bhiza, the CCA national coordinator, said the gathering demonstrated Zimbabwe’s commitment to engagement with other countries.
He said President Mnangagwa’s philosophy that Zimbabwe was “a friend to all and an enemy to none” had helped create an environment for delegates from different countries to meet, exchange ideas and share experiences.
The summit comes as Bulawayo seeks to strengthen its position as a destination for conferences, religious tourism, business and cultural exchange.
For the organisers, the gathering is not only about worship but also about mobilising the Church to contribute to economic development, self-sufficiency and closer African cooperation.
