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WCC delegation meets with President of Zimbabwe

July 23, 2026 · 1 min read

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Thu, 07/23/2026 - 21:57

An ecumenical delegation led by World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, as well as officials from the Zimbabwe Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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From left: Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay; President Emmerson Mnangagwa; Bishop Dr Ignatius Makumbe; and Rev. Dr Suzanne Matale.

In addition to Pillay, those meeting with Mnangagwa included general secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches Rev. Wilfred Dimingu; president of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches Bishop Dr Ignatius Makumbe; Rev. Dr Suzanne Matale from Zambia, representing the All Africa Conference of Churches general secretary; Rev. Dr Hanns Lessing, executive secretary for Theology and Ecumenism at the World Communion of Reformed Churches; Rev. Mzwandile Molo, South African Council of Churches general secretary and current chair of the Fellowship of Church Councils in Southern Africa; and Dr Masiiwa Gunda, WCC programme executive and Ecumenical Institute at Bossey adjunct professor.

President…

Source: World Council of Churches · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Translate comments

Hannah Adams

Interesting to see Bishop Dr Ignatius Makumbe and Rev. Dr Suzanne Matale in the group photo with President Mnangagwa. I wonder what practical matters they raised about daily life for ordinary families in Zimbabwe. Our own parish choir prayed for African churches last Sunday, so this caught my eye.

Thomas Hall

I noticed Bishop Makumbe and Rev. Matale too. They probably brought up the usual worries we hear from folks back home—power cuts, getting basics like mealie meal, and keeping kids in school when times are tight. Nice that your choir remembered the African churches; we lit a candle for them at Vespers the same day.

Peter Clark

Yeah, I saw Bishop Makumbe in the photo too. Makes sense they'd talk about the power cuts and mealie meal; my Zambian coworker was saying the same thing last week when we were loading the van. Did your choir end up singing anything from the African repertoire that night?

Xenia Bennett

I spotted Bishop Makumbe too — he’s from our sister diocese, so it felt close to home. I hope they pressed the president on reliable electricity for the clinics and schools; my sister-in-law in Harare says the long blackouts make it almost impossible to keep food from spoiling or children studying after dark. Did your choir use any particular African hymns last Sunday?