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‘The church is for the truth’

Father George Desmond Tambala will be consecrated as the Bishop of Zomba Diocese today following his appointment on October 15, 2015 to replace Archbishop Thomas Msusa. Our correspondent JOSEPH KAYIRA caught up with Father Tambala to know more about him and on his aspirations for the future. Excerpts:

Tambala: As a country we need to look at a new  sense of being Malawian
Tambala: As a country we need to look at a new
sense of being Malawian

Q

Tell us more about yourself.

A

I am Father George Desmond Tambala and I was born on November 18, 1968 in Zomba. I come from a family of eight children. At the moment I am the only male with five sisters. My parents were from Zomba. As teachers they moved from place to place and eventually ended up in Machinga where they bought land on which to farm. I went to Ulongwe Minor Seminary where I did my standard eight. I was selected to go to Child Jesus Seminary at Nankhunda in Zomba. Nankhunda was a very special place and time for me because it is where I came to know more about vocation to priesthood.

 

Q

How did you receive the news that Pope Francis has entrusted you with the responsibility of heading Zomba Diocese?

A

It’s an appointment that came as a total surprise. I must say that I have always been ready to go wherever the will of God sends me but I never thought that one day I would be asked to be a bishop. I feel Christ is asking me to accept this service through the Holy Father even though I do not see myself as meriting or having the qualities of a bishop, in terms of human gifts. I see myself as a disciple of Jesus Christ struggling to live the gift of priesthood with my own fragility and limitations. I also accepted to be bishop because of the love for my home district Zomba where the church since 1953 has been witnessing to the Gospel of Christ.

 

Q

What are your immediate and long term plans as bishop of Zomba Diocese?

A

After consecration I will consult my brother priests and religious who have worked very hard for the diocese to succeed. I will need to consult widely and understand the context of each parish and apostolate; what they are doing and so on and so forth. I will also talk to the Christians in our parishes. I believe a lot in the teaching of Vatican II that in as much as the church is hierarchical, the church is also the people of God. The consultations will help in bringing the church together in pastoral and developmental planning. I wish to join hands with all people of God to develop the diocese in spiritual and material needs. We will reach out to the youth, the sick and those in prison.

 

Q

What contributions do you have for the church in Malawi?

A

Together with the other bishops we will chart the way forward for the church. I will share my ideas and visions with them. The church stands for the truth and we will speak the truth for the benefit of the people. The scriptures say we are the salt of the world. So we are expected to speak out when we see that things are not going in the right direction.

 

Q

How do you look at the socio economic situation of our country and how can the church help to improve the livelihoods of Malawians?

A

On one side, the country has achieved some notable economic and social steps over the past years since independence. But I feel that we need, as a country, to look at a new sense of being Malawian. The world has moved on so much but we seem to have challenges in adapting to the new economic models of today. There is a need for additional dialogue, accompanied by a new way of education that can allow us to cope up with the economic systems. On the other hand we seem to lose a lot of our rich human and spiritual values.

 

Q

You are a relatively young bishop and definitely an inspiration to the youth. What would be your message to the Malawian youth?

A

When I see what has happened in Europe I feel we need to be awake and plan accordingly in order to live our faith. We live in a world that is full of challenges. We need to be proud of our faith while at the same time not afraid to use the modern technologies of today. Technology is good but it can pose a challenge if we do not know our faith. Let us use Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and other tools in a manner that is acceptable.

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