Zambia. President Hichilema writes… This morning we held a meeting with the Holy Father, Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome. We discussed matters of mutual interest with His Holiness and expressed our deep gratitude to the Catholic Church for its unwavering commitment to the development of Zambia and it’s citizens in all areas of human endeavours, for almost 130 years it’s been operating in Zambia.

Of particular interest to Zambians is that Pope Francis comes from the Jesuit order, a branch of the Catholic clerics that has had a profound influence on Zambia’s education system for over a century.

We therefore reiterated our resolve to working with the Church back home in fostering development and improving our people’s livelihoods. We also stressed our view that we will continue embracing all religious faiths in Zambia.

The Church has played a pivotal role in areas of education, health and the promotion of democracy and good governance in Zambia. We will always look up to the Church for guidance in dealing with national matters. Our meeting was fruitful and we are greatly humbled to have been invited at the Vatican.