Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in ROME, Italy
VICE PRESIDENT Dr Constantino Chiwenga is today expected back in Italy for scheduled meetings with the Roman Catholic Church leadership regarding the church’s envisaged social investment in Zimbabwe.
The Vice President was there last week for the funeral of Pope Francis, who had initiated processes to roll out programmes aimed at promoting education for girls in Zimbabwe, health services support, youth empowerment projects, climate change, and other social development projects.
Despite the Pope’s passing, the Papacy has indicated that the programmes will go ahead, hence the need for continuation of VP’s working visit beginning today. In addition to scheduled meetings at the Vatican, the VP is also expected to meet captains of industry in Italy, where he will make a case for investment in Zimbabwe in line with President Mnangagwa’s “open for business” stance.
Speaking to this publication ahead of VP Chiwenga’s arrival, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Dr Sekai Nzenza, said Zimbabwe and the Holy city enjoy good historical ties that had seen significant church intervention in a number of sectors such as education, health, and social justice.
“Vice President Dr Chiwenga’s presence at Pope Francis’ funeral clearly signifies the strong relationship between Zimbabwe and the Vatican,” said Ambassador Nzenza.
“The Catholic Church has had a very strong presence in Zimbabwe for a very long time, and right through the liberation war they were there.
“I had the privilege of meeting Pope Francis twice in December and also in January, and I was able to have a dialogue with the Secretary of State for the Vatican, and what clearly came out was the urgency with which the Vatican is interested in engaging or dialoguing with Zimbabwe.
“The discussions revealed a strong interest from the Vatican in addressing the role of the youth and the empowerment of women through education, and that dialogue will continue.
“The Church has been instrumental in providing educational opportunities and healthcare services, which are vital for our society,” said Ambassador Nzenza.
“So, the dialogue we intend to have deals with issues of social justice, inequality, education for girls, the youth, health, and of course climate change, which was something that Pope Francis was very passionate about, and I am in dialogue with the Vatican authorities in this regard.”
Sources close to the discussions said the Catholic Church’s intervention is expected to tackle, among other problem areas, the drug abuse menace.
The intervention comes as Zimbabwe, like the rest of the world, is battling with rising drug abuse among youths.
On its part, the Government has rolled out several interventions to help victims and would-be victims, but has also emphasised the need for a multi-pronged approach.
The church’s interest could thus be the perfect tonic needed to upscale the fight against drug and substance abuse.
