Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) attending the August plenary session in Mariannhill Monastery, on Wednesday, August 7 elected Cardinal Stephen Brislin of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cape Town as President, Archbishop Zolile Peter Mpambani SCI of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bloemfontein as 1st Vice President, and Archbishop Siegfried Mandla Jwara, CMM of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Durban as 2nd Vice President.
Speaking with the SACBC communication office shortly after the election, both Cardinal Brislin and Archbishop Mpambani said they would continue the “good work” of the outgoing executive.
Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa are in Mariannhill Monastery for the August 5 to 9 plenary session. Over the past three days, the bishops met with the new Apostolic Nuncio to Southern Africa Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński and heard reports from some departments.
On Tuesday, August 6 SACBC members heard reports from the department for Christian formation, a report from the Justice and Peace Commission regarding coalition politics which has led to a government of national unity in South Africa. The bishops also heard reports from the Future VisionTask team.
On Wednesday, August 7, the bishops heard reports from the SACBC mission council, the finance department, and reports from each Metro concerning the Diocesan Boundaries.
The next sessions will be dedicated to the departments for clergy, laity, and ecumenism.
(Text courtesy of SACBC communications office)