AFRICA/ANGOLA - “Good Governance is the priority of my mandate” says new President of the Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa IMBISA

Luanda (Agenzia Fides)- Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Lubango in Angola, Bishop Gabriel Mbilingue, has been elected president of the Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa IMBISA taking place in the Angolan capital, Luanda (see Fides 19 July 2007).
The newly elected president of the Bishops of Southern Africa told the press that his priority will be to “continue to work to reformulate activities concerning good governance”. The issue of good governance as the indispensable condition for authentic and integral development of the individual and society, was the theme of the 8th Inter-regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa IMBISA. The Assembly also appointed a new IMBISA secretary general, Bishop Angel Floro Martinez of Gowke diocese.
It emerged from the Assembly that good governance is the art of taking and implementing decisions in transparency and giving account of one's actions to the people. “Without good governance it is truly difficult to promote programmes for the development of the peoples of Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other southern African countries” the Bishops said.
IMBISA includes the Catholic Bishops of Angola and Sao Tomé, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. IMBISA headquarters are in Harare, Zimbabwe. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 26/7/2007 righe 23 parole 224)