At a time when the Catholic Church is intensifying its reflection on marriage and family life across the world, the Liaison Bishop for Marriage and Family Life Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) has called for a renewed pastoral approach rooted in accompaniment, gentleness, and fidelity to Catholic teaching.

In an interview with the SACBC Communications Office at the end of the SACBC Marriage and Family Life Office Annual General Meeting held at the Lumko Institute from 8 to 10 May 2026, Bishop Elias Kwenzakufani Zondi reflected on the realities affecting families in Southern Africa and the Church’s response in a rapidly changing society.

The three-day meeting, organized by the SACBC Department for Formation, Life and Apostolate of the Laity, brought together delegates from metropolitan regions including Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, Botswana, and Eswatini. The programme included discussions on the “Church as Family,” youth ministry, Theology of the Body, pastoral frameworks for marriage ministry, and the role of fathers within family life.

According to Bishop Zondi, one of the central priorities of the gathering was the development of a pastoral framework that would guide marriage and family ministry throughout the Conference.

“Our meeting has been of great importance because it is the time that the different metropolitan regions come and report on what they are doing in the dioceses,” Bishop Zondi explained. “We were also planning for the future and looking at different documents to put together a working document for the ministry.”

Bishop Zondi went on to say, “The working document that we looked at is more about how we can plan the ministry in the conference, starting from what the ministry is and also the apostolate… And how the ministry can be implemented within the conference and the dioceses.”

Reflecting on the meaning of family ministry, Bishop Zondi emphasized accompaniment as central to the Church’s mission.

“A family ministry is serving God in our families,” he said. “Everybody needs to be accompanied so that we can serve God properly.”

The discussions at Lumko Institute took place within the broader context of the universal Church’s renewed focus on family life following Pope Leo XIV’s March 2026 announcement convening presidents of Bishops’ Conferences for a meeting in Rome next October, marking ten years since the publication of Amoris Laetitia.

In his message announcing the gathering, Pope Leo XIV described the document of Pope Francis as a “luminous message of hope regarding conjugal love and family life,” while urging the Church to continue discerning new pastoral paths capable of responding to the realities affecting families today.

Mr. and Mrs. Mathe, who also participated in the interview, noted that the SACBC has already received an invitation to contribute reflections on the state of family life in the region.

“We will be sending messages to representatives so that they can comment on what they see as the challenges in the family and also the successes that we have in this ministry,” said Mr Mathe.

In the Sunday, 10 May interview, Mr and Mrs Mathe echoed the importance of strengthening family relationships, particularly the role of fathers within the home.

One of the highlights of the gathering was a presentation on the “Heartlines Fathers Matter” initiative, which explored how fathers can become more present and engaged in the lives of their children and spouses.

Reflecting on the discussion, Bishop Zondi emphasized the importance of love and appreciation within marriage and family life.

“We must love our wives,” he said, “When a person feels loved, they respond with love and appreciation.”

Mr. Mathe also joined in expressing gratitude for mothers and families, particularly on the occasion of Mother’s Day, which coincided with the meeting.

“We celebrate mothers for everything they do for the children and for the family,” the participants noted during the conversation, acknowledging the sacrifices and commitment shown daily by mothers and grandmothers.

In a separate interview with the SACBC Communications Office, Mr. and Mrs. Maziya from Manzini Diocese described the gathering as both enriching and practical for pastoral ministry at the diocesan level.

“We have been attending the SACBC Marriage and Family Life Office AGM, and we found it very, very informative,” said Mr. Innocent Maziya. “We were able to discuss resources that are available for the Marriage and Family Life Ministry in the conference, and these resources are very helpful for ministry in each of the dioceses.”

Mrs. Maziya highlighted the importance of collaboration among different Church structures, particularly youth ministry and the Southern African Catholic Council of the Laity.

“We were also able to get reports from youth activities and from the Southern African Catholic Council of the Laity,” she said. “This makes it easier for us to coordinate activities in our dioceses because all these structures contribute something to marriage and family ministry.”

The Maziyas also welcomed the process initiated during the meeting to establish a formal pastoral framework for the SACBC Marriage and Family Life Office.

“This framework is going to be very helpful in guiding dioceses on the activities we are meant to participate in and lead in our dioceses,” Mr. Mazia explained.

Mrs. Maziya further reflected on the shared pastoral realities affecting young people and families across Southern Africa.

“It was interesting to see that youths from different countries are bringing similar problems,” she noted. “That is going to make it easier for us to work together to find solutions and help strengthen families and young people.”

The couple expressed hope that the lessons and pastoral insights gained during the meeting would bear fruit in their local Church communities.

“We hope, by the grace of God, that we will be able to implement some of the things we learned during this gathering,” they said.