Catholic professionals launch Harare Chapter

Catholic professionals from various sectors on Tuesday convened to launch the Harare Chapter of the Catholic Professionals Network of Zimbabwe (CPNZ).

The association which has so far has existed in Gweru and Mutare brings together Catholics with various professions, aiming at developing an international and intercultural platform and network where professionals and intellectuals professing the Catholic faith can share their faith, life and professional experiences while identifying opportunities for service and growth.

The launch also invited the professionals to reflect on the dignity and integrity of the family vocation guided by the Pope’s apostolic exhortation on the family, “Amoris Laetitia.”

The guest speaker, Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Zimbabwe, Professor Ranganai Zinyemba, stressed on the Pontiff’s encouragement to families and how he reminds the Church to avoid judging and imposing rules on people without considering their struggles. The Church is called to ponder on the role of personal conscience in moral decisions and pastoral discernment.

He said the long-awaited document whose goal is to help families experience God’s love requires ‘new pastoral methods.’

At the same function, the network’s National Chaplain, Fr Nigel Johnson SJ, said the Church needs to meet the people where they are, which also means ‘not leaving them there’ because people are found in very different situations.

Judith Dembetembe Chiyangwa, the CPNZ National Chairperson, handed over the network’s Constitution and Strategic Plan to Fr Nigel Johnson SJ. A seven-member interim committee was earlier set-up. The CPNZ National Chair told the gathering that the task of the professionals’ network was to deliberate and apply the members’ professional skills in complementing the church’s service to the society.

(Jesuit Communications Zimbabwe –Mozambique)

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