Bishop Emeritus Allan Chamgwera of Zomba Diocese has hailed “I am a Catholic and I am Proud”, an online Roman Catholic grouping, for its responsive use of social media in evangelism.
Bishop Chamgwera said this on the sidelines of the group’s visit to his residence at Thondwe on Easter Monday, April 17.
“I am impressed by the work you are doing because by spreading the Gospel online you have become apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.
Reflecting on the historic Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops of Malawi which was released on March 8, 1992, Bishop Chamgwera said that he is happy that now people can express their views freely.
He was however quick to denounce the abuse of freedom of expression by some quarters of the society.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mrs Lucy Vokhiwa emphasized the need for Catholic faithful to refrain from using social media as a platform for criticising church leaders.
“Facebook should be a means of communication for us to share ideas on how we can improve our understanding of Catholic doctrine not attacking priests or fellow friends,” she said.
Upon hearing the plan of visiting the Bishop emeritus, Malawi’s vice president, who is also a proud Catholic, Dr Saulos Chilima made a contribution of K50,000.
During the visit members of “I am a Catholic and I am Proud” donated to the Bishop goods worth over K200,000.
Among others, the proud Catholics celebrated with Mass presided over by the Bishop and they also had a luncheon.
“I am a Catholic and I am Proud” is an online Catholic grouping which currently has a membership of over 25,000 people across the country.
*Report by Luke Chimwaza
