Ad limina Visit of the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi

On the occasion of their ad limina visit to the Vatican, a delegation of bishops from the Episcopal Conference of Malawi visited the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPUC) on 31 March 2023 for a meeting with its Prefect Cardinal Kurt Koch. The delegation was led by H.E. George Desmond Tambala, Archbishop of Lilongwe and President of the Episcopal Conference. Revd Andrzej Choromanski, Official of the Western section, was also present. 

During the visit, the bishops informed the Dicastery about the ecumenical situation in their country, where about 80% of the population is Christian. They reported that the Catholic Church, which is the largest single church, with about 25% of the population, has good relations with the historic Protestant denominations and collaborates especially on social issues, such as health, education and development projects. However, they expressed their concern about the growth of some religious movements who are less interested in the ecumenical movement.

Cardinal Koch explained to the bishops the work of the Dicastery, pointing out some of the current challenges regarding international dialogues with the Eastern and Western Churches and commented on the ecumenical dimension of the synodal process taking place in the Catholic Church.