By Grace Kapatuka,ACJ Reporter
Archbishop Tarcizio Ziyaye formerly of Blantyre Archdiocese was installed as Archbishop of Lilongwe, at a colourful ceremony which took place at Maula Cathedral in Lilongwe.
Archbishop Ziyaye replaces Archbishop Remi Ste Marie who has since retired from the position after reaching the canonical age of 75. He served the diocese from October 2007 and retired in May 2013.
Speaking during a high mass which was celebrated jointly by the out-going Archbishop Remi Ste-Marie and the new Archbishop Tarcizio Ziyaye, the former Archbishop thanked the catholic faithful from the Archdiocese for the support rendered to him during his time.
“I am leaving a happy person because of the support you gave me. Your support simplified my work. If at any point I did anything wrong to anyone of you, may you please forgive me because it was not intentional,” said Ste Marie.
The Archbishop Emeritus welcomed the new Archbishop to Lilongwe and pledged for his full support to him.
Ste Marie also urged the catholic faithful to continue giving their support to Ziyaye as they did with him.
Also speaking during the same function, the Apostolic Nuncio to Malawi and Zambia Archbishop Julio Murat urged Ziyaye to continue serving the church with zeal and dedication, saying Pope Francis has trust and confidence in him by appointing him Archbishop of the Archdiocese.
In his speech, Archbishop Ziyaye pledged to work hard and tirelessly for the goodness of the Archdiocese saying he would continue from where Ste Marie left.
Ziyaye however urged the faithful to pray for him and give him much needed support saying it was not an easy job for him to lead the Archdiocese.
“I will always rely on God’s help and the Holy spirit’s guidance as well as your prayers because I know that this is a big responsibility for me,” he said.
He, however, urged the out-going Archbishop to continue playing an advisory role to the Catholic Church as well as to the priests, saying his wisdom and advice would be of much help to him and the entire Archdiocese.
Ziyaye also thanked him for his tireless efforts and dedication which he said took the diocese to another level.
During the ceremony, Archbishop Emeritus Remi Ste Marie handed over the Cathedra, a chair for the Archbishop and a cluster to the new Archbishop signifying that he was the new caretaker of the Archdiocese.
Archbishop Ziyaye also headed Lilongwe Archdiocese before it became an Archdiocese in 1993 and this is the second time that he has headed it.
Before his appointment as Archbishop for Lilongwe, Ziyaye was head of the Blantyre Archdiocese which has no Archbishop as of now following his transfer to Lilongwe.
Archbishop Remi Ste Marie who has since retired became Bishop of Lilongwe diocese in October 2007. Before going to Lilongwe, he was Bishop for Dedza diocese where he served from 1998 to 2007.
Ste Marie served as Bishop in the catholic church of Malawi for 15 years and served as a priest for 50 years.
Meanwhile, random interviews conducted in Lilongwe showed that people from the Archdiocese are happy with the coming in of the new Archbishop.
“I am happy with the new Bishop and I hope the archdiocese will continue to shine in all its undertakings because I know Archbishop Ziyaye as a hardworking man. On the other hand I will also miss Ste-Marie but we cannot do otherwise as he has reached the retirement age. He served us and let us wish him well as he is retiring,” said a Mr Kalua of Utatu Woyera Parish.
Angelina Kaphiri of Madisi Parish also said she was happy that the Archdiocese has a new Archbishop saying when one retires, one has to take over.
“It has been nice having Archbishop Ste Marie and I believe Ziyaye would continue from where he left,” she said.
Lilongwe Archdiocese covers Mchinji, Dowa, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Salima and Ntchisi.
Pic—Ziyaye and Ste-Marie exchanging authority
