Catholic faithful in Malawi are mourning the death of His Lordship Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza, 59 of the Diocese of Mzuzu, who died in a car accident on Thursday.
Rt. Rev Bishop Zuza was driving to his base, Mzuzu, from visiting his home village, Mhlafuta in Embangeni Mzimba. The Bishop’s car registration number,MZ 6022 rear tyre burst causing the vehicle to swerve and get out of his control. His Lordship was in the process forced out of the car. This took place at Nthungwa, in the Chikangawa forest Reserve.
Bishop Zuza was born on October 2, 1955 at Malembo Village,Chief Mbelwa,Mzimba District , and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Mzuzu on July 25, 1982.On March 9,1995,Saint. John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Mzuzu and consecrated on May 6, 1995.
In 2010 Bishop Zuza’s diocese was split, partly out of a desire to ease transportation problems in the area.
When the Diocese of Karonga was erected that year from territory of the Mzuzu diocese, Bishop Zuza said the split was “necessary, because it is quite taxing to travel to some places from headquarters.” He described difficult travel on poor roads in all-terrain vehicles to parishes as far as 250 miles away.
In addition to having been Bishop of Mzuzu, in Malawi’s north, Bishop Zuza was, until his death, president of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, since 2011.
Steering the Malawi Bishop’s conference, Bishop Zuza spoke out for justice and upliftment of the marginalized, slamming the roots of the socio-economic problems of Malawi, which had attracted criticism from political corners.
Bishop Zuza participated in the extraordinary Synod on Family that concluded last October, where he spoke up for Catholic teaching on family sought to uphold the sanctity of the Sacrament of marriage.
A conservative and promoter of culture and traditions, the African prelate had expressed concerns over Western influence affecting African culture, particularly on the issues of homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Mzuzu Diocese, Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, then Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, lauded Bishop Zuza’s pastoral initiatives for the faithful, saying that “during these years of visiting Mzuzu, the diocese has been very well managed and very well organized.”
The Prefecture Apostolic of Northern Malawi was erected in 1947, and was elevated to the status of the Diocese of Mzuzu in 1961. It currently holds a Catholic population of 400,000.
Meanwhile, Episcopal Conference of Malawi’s Acting Secretary General, Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo says late Bishop Zuza will be laid to rest on Monday (19th January, 2015). Apostolic Nuncio for Malawi and Zambia, His Excellency Julio Murrat is expected to grace burial ceremony.
May the Soul of Bishop Zuza Rest in Peace
Source: Prince Henderson, ECM Communications Officers
