IMBISA Golden Jubilee and 14th Plenary Assembly Matsapha, Eswatini, 24–29 September 2025
The Catholic Bishops of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) gathered in Matsapha, Eswatini, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee and the 14th Plenary Assembly under the theme: “A Synodal Journey, Nourished by Compassion and Blossoming in Faith as Pilgrims of Hope.”
The assembly brought together bishops from the nine IMBISA member countries— Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé e Príncipe, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—who engaged in Conversations in the Spirit and reflected on the pastoral, social, and political realities shaping the Church in the region.
Discussions centred on how IMBISA can strengthen its mission for the coming decades, ensuring that the Church remains a sign of hope and unity amid the many challenges facing Southern Africa. Presidents of the six Episcopal Conferences of the IMBISA Region presented their respective reports highlighting key concerns, including terrorism in northern Mozambique, economic hardship, youth unemployment, social instability, and migration in the region.
The assembly was graced by the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio to Eswatini, Archbishop Henryk Jagodziński, and four Cardinals—including Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu OFM. Cap, President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). Also present were numerous bishops emeriti and the sole surviving founding member of IMBISA, Archbishop Zacarias Kamwenho, Archbishop Emeritus of Lubango, Angola, who was honored during the IMBISA Golden Jubilee Celebration.
At the conclusion of the assembly, Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda OMI of Windhoek, Namibia, was re-elected IMBISA President, with Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba of Saurimo, Angola, re-elected as Vice President and Bishop Rudolph Nyandoro of Gweru, Zimbabwe, re-elected as Secretary General. Fr. Enrico Parry of Oudtshoorn Diocese, South Africa, who was nominated by the Standing Committee, was confirmed by IMBISA Plenary as the Director of the Secretariat, and (Auxiliary) Bishop António Manuel Bogaio Constantino MCCJ of Beira, Mozambique, was elected Bishop in-charge of Media & Communications.
Other members of the new Standing Committee leadership include:
- Bishop Dionísio Hisiilenapo (CEAST)
- Bishop Tonito José Francisco Xavier Muananoua (CEM)
- Bishop Vitalis Sekhonyana OMI (LCBC)
- Bishop Willem Christiaans OSFS (NCBC)
- Bishop Siphiwo Vanqa SAC (SACBC)
- Bishop Raymond Mupandasekwa CSSR (ZCBC)
Looking ahead, the bishops reaffirmed their commitment to journey together in a spirit of synodality, discerning how the Church can proclaim the Gospel faithfully in a world marked by conflict, corruption, poverty, and rapid technological change—including the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Done in Manzini, on 28 September 2025
The Participants