Half of Scotland's ordinaries — four out of eight — have yet to be appointed. The Philippines has nine sees without a bishop, and Italy has vacancies in 12 sees, two territorial abbeys, and one eparchy.

Some dioceses, such as Wilcannia-Forbes in Australia and Mansa in Zambia, haven't had a bishop since 2009.

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Home Minister Edgar Lunga said the order against Father Viateur Banyangandora was revoked following consultations with various members of the Catholic Church and was in line with "the Bible teachings to forgive one another in the love of Christ".

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A statement from the bishops' conference says "a country cannot practise the values and precepts of Christianity by a mere declaration" and, in any case, it would contradict the fact that "Zambia is a multi-religious country".

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Father Viateur Banyangandora, a Rwandan, was picked up at his residence at Lundazi by police at about 5pm on July 30, and taken to Lusaka, the Zambian capital, for questioning, said parochial vicar Father Evan Sakala.

Father Sakala said police referred to comments Father Banyangandora made in which he castigated the government over its handling of an impasse between cotton growers and cotton ginners. The authorities apparently considered these comments capable of inciting people to rise against the government.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Edgar Lungu, confirmed that the 40-year-old priest was sent to his homeland on August 1. "Father Banyangandora's conduct was found to be a danger to peace and good order in Zambia," he said.

Bishop George Lungu of Chipata diocese said it was unfair that the government security service did not inform him before deporting Father Banyangandora.

He said he felt the priest deported from Zambia was harassed, intimidated and hounded out of the country.

Bishop Lunga said he would not rest until the government explained what happened to Father Banyangandora, whom he described as his son in Christ.

The bishop, who was speaking during the ordination of five priests and a deacon, broke down and, after a minute of silence, encouraged the ordained priests not to be intimidated. He said they had the right to speak on behalf of the voiceless facing injustice.

The Zambian government and the Cotton Association of Zambia have been unable to reach an agreement on the price of cotton being paid to growers.

The stalemate has led the association to halt the sale of cotton to the Cotton Ginners Association of Zambia, which offered a price more than 50 per cent lower than in 2011. The impasse has led some farmers to burn cotton stockpiles in protest.

Sources:

Catholic News Service

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Image: Hindu Business Line

The Youth Alive programme, which has been running in all of Zambia's dioceses, emphasises abstinence from pre-marital sex and faithfulness in marriage.

Sister Wetzel said: "We want to empower young people to recognise how precious human life is. They learn how serious Aids is. Based on this knowledge they understand that their lives are affected by their own decisions. This means they can refuse if someone wants to tempt them to any action that violates the sacredness of human life."

Sister Wetzel's comments echo those of Sister Maria Crucis Beards who helped set up Our Lady's Hospice, a centre for people with HIV in the east of the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Sr Crucis said: "I believe telling people about the importance of chastity and fidelity is the only way to tackle the [HIV/Aids] crisis. Condoms have been freely available for 10 years or more and yet there's been no obvious change in HIV levels. Clearly condoms don't work."

According to UN estimates, Zambia has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. Zambia's HIV prevalence in adults was 21.5 percent in 2003. Figures from 2009 reveal a drop to 13.5 percent.

A national strategic plan developed in 2002-2005 prioritised promoting behaviour change, reducing mother-to-child transmission, ensuring safer blood transfusions, and providing care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, especially orphans.

The southern African nation has a population of 14 million, of whom 7.5 million are Catholic.

Full Article: ICN