THE DEPARTMENTS
The situational reports which were presented by different countries, gave rise to planning, evaluating, advising and supporting action to meet prevailing needs. This resulted in the establishment of different departments within the IMBISA Secretariat, namely: Refugee Service, Social Communications, Theological Reflection and Exchange, Biblical Pastoral Ministry and now Translations service and Justice and Peace Desk. One of the projects envisaged but never realized has been a Centre for Research and Planning.
REFUGEE SERVICES:
IMBISA has “had a continuing concern for refugees and migrant workers.” Information had been shared and considerable co-operation achieved especially between neighbouring countries and through co-operation with CARITAS. The Society of Jesus was requested to help in coordinating the care for refugees in the IMBISA region, an offer made by Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ at the SECAM Plenary Assembly in Yaoundé Cameroon.
The Refugee Department was established in 1987. The mandate of the department was to provide pastoral care for the refugees in the region. For greater effectiveness the department began to network with other ecumenical bodies like Christian Care. In the case of Zimbabwe, the influx of refugees from Mozambique in the 1990s made the department realize that there was a need for both pastoral and development projects. Aid was therefore given in the form of health care, shelter, and skills training in the camps.
As of now the department; coordinates, animates, motivates, mediates, encourages and supports the pastoral care and development work for refugees, migrants, asylum seekers and internally displaced people within the region itself as well as in neighbouring countries where refugees from the IMBISA region have found refuge.
The department almost facilitates sending financial requests for project monies to foreign funding partners when local church is unable to secure assistance to address other non material needs of refugees e.g. social, spiritual, and cultural and education needs.
It also engages in advocacy work on behalf of refugees and displaced persons and conscientise the local Church and its communities on their responsibilities towards refugees., gives assistance to the member conferences and their agencies in resource mobilization (human and financial)
A group of Internally Displaced People in Lesotho listen attentively to one of them telling their story.
The Department organises programmes for Church Personnel in the Ministry with refugees and uprooted people, identify together with the local Church authorities, the pastoral care and development needs of the homeless and displaced people within the region and networks with other organisations regard to the phenomena of mass movement of populations across borders.
Fr. Fred de Kinderen co-ordinated this department for some time until Sr. Patricia Startup took over in 1995 when Fr. de Kinderen was recalled to Holland. In May 2000, Sr. Patricia was replaced by Sr. Stella Takaza SJI as Coordinator and Sr. Basilia Dembetembe LCBL, as Assistant Coordinator. With the movement of Sr. Basilia to the Justice and Peace Desk, Sr. Juliet Mwerwa was appointed as Assisted Coordinator in the Department.
SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS:
IMBISA-Social Communications Department came into being in 1973 under the name Secretariat of Southern Africa Region for Social Communication (SARCOM). In 1975, SARCOM held its first meeting under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication. It shared an orientation of how this Secretariat should work in order to set up a network of Communication in Southern Africa. At that moment IMBISA was not yet in place and the Southern Region was still made up of only English-speaking countries, though the consultation was going on for a broader formation of the Region.
With the Independence of Mozambique and Angola, the first effort was the introduction of SARCOM as a way to communicate among different Episcopal conferences including the three Portuguese-speaking countries (Angola, Mozambique and São Tome e Principe). With the official establishment of IMBISA in 1984 during its First Plenary Assembly, SARCOM moved to Harare and it changed it name to IMBISA Social Communications Department.
The mandate of the department was to:
- establish a communication network among IMBISA member countries;
- establish a bilingual secretariat ;
- facilitate communication among the bishops;
- animate and organize communication courses at IMBISA level
- train people who could possibly take communication jobs at Episcopal Conference level (both the religious and the laity)
- represent IMBISA Social Communications at continental and intercontinental levels.
In 1987 during a meeting with all the Bishops Chairmen of Social Communications Commissions from the Region, the Department came out with a Communication Policy for the Region, which was formulated as follows: Training at all levels, providing media towards the voiceless and the poor who are not counted in the main stream media and working towards planning for communication courses in both basic or traditional media and electronic media.
Sr. Veronica Dingi giving a welcome speech during the 2006 Annual General Meeting in Maputo while Mr Langa gives the translation.
Through this department IMBISA has been able to collaborate and share information with other 6 regions of Africa as well as international conferences.
In 1988 the department organised several workshops in Lesotho and Zimbabwe for the personnel in the refugee camps. From then on the department organised training course in communications for dioceses and national officers and also for the personnel that run and work in the Catholic radio stations.
The department in conjunction with AMECEA communications department produced three Communications Manuals, which are to be used by Seminaries. The Manuals are in both English and Portuguese.
From its beginning the department was coordinated by Sr. Marlene Scholz and from 1993, Sr. Lucy Rodrigues was appointed co-ordinator of the department until December 1996. In 1997 Fr. Bernardo Suate of Mozambique became co-ordinator with Sr. Veronica Dingi, CPS as Assistant. In 2003 Sr. Veronica Dingi took over as the coordinator of the department.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION AND EXCHANGE
Following the proposals made to the IMBISA Plenary Assembly in Windhoek, Namibia in April / May 1995, the office of co-coordinator of Theological Reflection and Exchange was established. The Bishops felt that such an office would correspond better with the present needs and available resources rather than opening a Theological Institute which was costly in both human and financial resources and which would also compete with established or planned institutions.
The aim of this office was to facilitate and foster theological reflection and research on the meaning of the Good News and the mission of the Church in the IMBISA region. This aim is to be achieved by fostering exchange on existing efforts of reflection and research and to plan and co-ordinate future efforts in the region. For all practical purposes, the office functions as a department of IMBISA under the Director of IMBISA.
Fr. Josef Elsener SMB was the first Co-ordinator of the department in August 1995 . At the end of his contract he was replaced by Fr. Peter Mufaro Siziba. Fr. Mufaro passed away in 2007 and since then the department is vacant.
This office has maintained active contacts with other theological bodies like ATISCA (Association of Theological Institutions in Southern Africa). Seminars have been organised and are envisaged for rectors, spiritual directors and deans of studies of Seminaries to stimulate an exchange of experiences and an exploration of ways and means to help each other. This is quite apart from the ‘Occasional Publications’ that this department produces.
THE TRANSLATIONS OFFICE
This service came into existence in 1996. It was the fulfilment of a long standing wish in IMBISA as a bilingual body. During the Standing Committee meeting held in September 1995 in Johannesburg, the Bishops agreed to look for a translator from English into Portuguese and Mozambique was to provide a person. In January 1996 Sr. Eduarda Zimba CPS, was appointed as the first translator and was later joined by Fr. Antonio Tchingui, from Angola.
The Office was established to facilitate communication between Episcopal conferences by making translations chiefly between the two language groups, Portuguese and English. IMBISA is the only Regional Association of Catholic Bishops' Conference in Africa that is bilingual. Apart from translating documents, this Office also provides simultaneous interpretations during meetings, plenary gatherings and seminars. At the moment the Office is manned by Sr. Felicidade Samuel from Mozambique and Fr. Bernabe Da Cruz Didalewa from Angola. Since mid July 2009, the department is manned by one man, that is Fr. Bernabe Da Cruz Didalewa.
JUSTICE AND PEACE
The Justice and Peace desk was established because justice and peace has always been the concern of IMBISA right from its beginning. This has been witnessed by the themes of some of the Plenary Assemblies.
The tasks of this desk are:
- To impart to the Coordinators of the Catholic Commissions for Justice and Peace (CCJPs) clear Christian Ethical Vision in their approach and dealing with social issues so as to accomplish a proper Christian Mission.
- To train the CCJPs in the Social Teaching of the Church, to enable them to spread the Gospel values within the society
Previously the Director of IMBISA organised a Regional Meeting of national Justice and Peace Commissions every three years and also participated in the continental Justice and Peace meeting of 1988 in Lesotho. It was then decided that the Assistant Director of IMBISA would be given the special responsibility for regional justice and peace issues. Fr. Juan José Luna as the Assistant Director of IMBISA was appointed to this post in 1997. His appointment led to various initiatives in the region, particularly on pastoral approaches to the promotion of human rights and on economic justice. After the expiry of Fr. Jose Luna’s contract Fr. Antonio Nunes Wauwaya took over as coordinator of the desk with Sr.Basilia Dembetembe as Assistant. As of 1st August 2009, the department has a new coordinator, who is Fr. Claudio Dos Reis, from the archdiocese of Maputo, in Mozambique.
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY:
The MISSION of the Biblical Pastoral Ministry is bringing the Gospel to the people of IMBISA Region and deepening their understanding and appreciation of the Bible, through different activities such as:
- Providing Bibles for all people especially the Laity and the Youth,
- Translation of the Bible, training of Bible facilitators/animators/teachers by means of courses,
- Seminars,
- Workshops, at Regional and Parish levels,
- Coordinate the activities in the Region for information so that people of the Region may benefit from each other's expertise.
This department is concerned with deepening an understanding and appreciation of the central document of the Christian faith, the Bible. They believe that such an understanding would form the basis for constructive reflection on the Southern Africa situation and thereby derive solutions to challenges encountered in different circumstances.
Meetings workshops have been held mainly in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Some workshops have been held on sections of the scriptures in individual dioceses.
The Department also promotes and coordinate the Biblical Pastoral Ministry in the Region of IMBISA, with the assistance of the General Secretary of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF)
A lady receiver a Certificte after completing a Dei Verbum Course
The department runs an annual Dei Verbum Course, which has become very famous and also produces a newsletter called The Word of God in Africa.
Fr. Ignatius Chidavaenzi of Chinhoyi diocese in Zimbabwe is the co-ordinator of this department.