AFRICA/LESOTHO - “The Catholic Church is the country’s first institution for education” Bishops from Lesotho on ad limina visit to Rome told Fides

Saturday, 11 June 2005

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Rome (Fides Service)- “Catholic schools are the most numerous” a group of Catholic Bishops from Lesotho told Fides in an interview on June 10 in the Vatican. Bishop Bitsoane Evaristus Thatho Bitsoane of Qacha’s Nek, President of the Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Bernard Mohlasisi of Maseru (the capital) and Bishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai of Mohale’s Hoek are in Rome for their ad limina visit.
“In Lesotho today about 600 primary and secondary schools are run by the Catholic Church which is therefore the country’s first institution for education. Not even the government has as many schools as the local Catholic Church” the Bishops told Fides.
“With its system of education besides contributing towards the wellbeing of the people the Church strives to transmit moral values inspired by the Gospel” said the Bishops of this small country.
Lesotho, independent from Britain since 1966 is entirely encircled by the Republic of South Africa and this conditions social and economic life . “We depend on South Africa for resources and for labour, since apart from abundant reserves of water, Lesotho is relatively poor in resources” the Bishops told Fides.
“Unemployment is a serious social problem. In the recent past many Basotho emigrated to South Africa to find work. But more recently South Africa’s unemployment rate has risen and many workers from Lesotho made redundant were forced to return home and this swelled the ranks of unemployed here” the Bishops told Fides.
“Besides unemployment another serious problem is spreading AIDS” the Bishops recall. In 2003 in Lesotho there were 320,000 people affected by AIDS or HIV among a population of a little more than 2 million.
“Together with other Christians we have programmes to prevent the spread of AIDS and HIV” the Bishops said, with regard to ecumenical activities in Lesotho. “Christians also work together in education and programmes to promote national peace and reconciliation and social development. In Lesotho there is a strong spirit of ecumenism. We try to focus on what unites us rather than what divides so as to better serve the Lord and the people the Lord has entrusted to us. Our slogan is: Ecumenism for Life”.
“Today the Catholic Church in Lesotho is served by local clergy. We have abundant vocations but we need to increase our capacity to train new priests because the only seminary in the country St. Augustine Major Seminary in Roma archdiocese of Maseru has a limited number of places” the Bishops conclude. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/6/2005 righe 40 parole 479)