Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga is today expected back in Italy for scheduled meetings with the Roman Catholic Church leadership to discuss the church’s envisaged social investment in Zimbabwe.
Dr Chiwenga was
here last week for the burial of Pope Francis.
The late Pope
died after initiating processes to roll out programmes aimed at promoting
Zimbabwean girls’ education, health services support, youth empowerment,
climate change and other social development projects.
The Papacy has
indicated that the programmes will go ahead despite Pope Francis’ death, hence
the need for continued engagement.
In addition to
the meetings at the Vatican, the VP is also expected to meet captains of
industry in Italy to make a case for investment in Zimbabwe in line with
President Mnangagwa’s “open for business” stance.
Speaking to The
Herald ahead of VP Chiwenga’s arrival,
Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Dr Sekai Nzenza said Zimbabwe and
the Holy City enjoy good historical ties.
“Vice President
Chiwenga’s presence at Pope Francis’ funeral clearly signified the strong
relationship between Zimbabwe and the Vatican,” said Ambassador Nzenza.
“The Catholic
Church has had a very strong presence in Zimbabwe for a very long time, even
during the liberation war they were there.
“I had the
privilege of meeting Pope Francis twice in December and also in January, and I
was able to have a dialogue with the Secretary of State for the Vatican. What
clearly came out was the urgency in which the Vatican is interested in engaging
Zimbabwe.
“The
discussions revealed the Vatican’s strong interest in addressing the role of
the youth and the empowerment of women through education. That dialogue will
continue.
“The church has
been instrumental in providing educational opportunities and healthcare
services, which are vital for our society.”
“So we intend
to discuss issues to do with social justice, inequality, education for girls,
the youth, health and climate change. Pope Francis was very passionate about
this and I am in dialogue with the Vatican authorities in this regard.”
Sources close
to the discussions said the Catholic Church’s intervention is expected to
tackle the drug abuse menace, among other problem areas. Herald
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