By Joel Chirwa

Mzuzu, December 14, Mana: Pastoral Chairperson of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) Reverend Bishop Martin Mtumbuka has urged the church's laity to safeguard the church and openly speak against   any wrongs and ills that go against the church doctrines and teachings.

Mtumbuka who is also Bishop of Karonga Catholic Diocese remarks when he presided   Holy Mass that marked the opening of the Catholic Women Organisation Annual General Meeting at Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Mzuzu Thursday.

He advised the members of the organization that they should be speaking out on things that go against the church doctrines and teachings to maintain the Church’s decency.

“If a brother, a priest or a nun or any leader does something that is wrong in the eyes of God do not hesitate speak out.

The mistakes done by us who are your leaders will cause irreparable harm than those done by any of you individually. Our door is open to attend to all concerns which you can raise. through that you will assist in building the church," said Mtumbuka.

He also advised Christians against suffering in silence saying silence will not help the church but kill it and damage its reputation.

 “If it will need to take you to report an issue to the bishop or a senior church provincial leader do the needful but procedurally than posting such issues on the social media,” he said.

The Bishop also said women play a vital role in the Church and as such, they need to learn from St Theresa who influenced St John of Cross to reform the Order of the Camerite Priesthood Order.

"If Saint Theresa had not come in the open to speak out against the ills that were happening in this order it wouldn’t have survived to this day. Let me also advise you that you send your children and dependents to school,” he added.

In her remarks, National Chairperson of Catholic Women's Organisation, Doreen Zimba advised women to take a leading role in promoting environmental conservation to mitigate the impact of climate change.

"We are experiencing erratic rains due to environmental degradation. Let us lead in planting trees and caring for them.

Vegetation cover will guarantee us good rains which will in long-term enable us to have bumper yields thereby averting hunger," said Zimba.

The Indaba which will run from December 14 to 17 is being held under the theme ‘Enabling every woman to participate and formation in a synodal church whilst caring for our common home and ecological conversion as we face global food crisis’.

The event coincided with the commemoration of the feast of Saint John of the Cross who is renowned in the Church for taking a leading role in revamping the Camerite Priesthood Order.