Imbisa Golden Jubilee opens with Cardinal Brislin’s call to renew hope and trust

by Kati Dijane · September 25, 2025

Cardinal Stephen Brislin during the opening Mass of the IMBISA golden jubilee celebration in Manzini Diocese on 24 September 2025

By Kati Dijane – The Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) opened its Golden Jubilee celebrations on September 24 with a solemn Mass in the Diocese of Manzini, Eswatini, marking 50 years of ministry, unity and discernment in the region.

The opening liturgy was led by Cardinal Stephen Brislin, the archbishop of Johannesburg Metropolitan and president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), who delivered a homily that struck both a reflective and forward-looking tone.

The gathering brought together bishops and delegates from Episcopal conferences across the nine IMBISA countries: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Fittingly, the opening Mass coincided with South Africa’s Heritage Day—a celebration of cultural unity in diversity—and also with Cardinal Brislin’s own birthday.

50 years of God’s faithfulness

Cardinal Brislin began his homily by giving thanks for IMBISA’s five decades of journeying with the people of Southern Africa, calling it a time filled with both struggles and blessings.

“We remember 50 years in which we have shared the dreams and the disappointments, the joys and the sorrows, the excruciating times of violence and the blessed moments of peace,” he said. “We also acknowledge the unfailing presence and working of God’s Holy Spirit among us.”

He described this jubilee moment as a weaving together of history, threads of pain and of hope into a “season of hope,” echoing the words of St Paul in Romans: hope that will never disappoint us. Drawing on the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr., he reminded the Church: “We must accept finite disappointments but never lose infinite hope.”

Confronting challenges with faith

The homily did not shy away from naming the many challenges that face both the Church and society today. Cardinal Brislin pointed to widespread corruption, unemployment, poverty, violence in homes and schools, and the erosion of family life.

Beyond the region, he also highlighted the tragedies unfolding around the world, from the war in Ukraine to starvation in South Sudan, to the ongoing conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the suffering of people in Gaza. What troubled him deeply, he said, was how these injustices are increasingly being met with silence.

“It is a sad hour,” he acknowledged, “yet we gather rejoicing in the promise of salvation, even as we are mindful of our own distortions as Church.” He echoed Pope Francis’ reminders of sins within the Church itself, including the abuse crisis, exclusion of women and youth and the temptation to use doctrine as a weapon rather than a source of healing.

A call to be custodians of hope

Despite these “finite disappointments,” Cardinal Brislin insisted that Christians are never without hope. The Church, he said, has been entrusted with the responsibility to become “custodians of hope.”

This means recognising that believers are not passive bystanders, but people gifted by God with the ability to bring change. Drawing inspiration from the Book of Esther, he said that God has prepared the Church “for an hour such as this.”

“We cannot slack in building faith communities that unshackle minds and release both wisdom and skill,” he said. “Together, synodally, we must build a Church where the poor feel at home, where dignity is restored and where people can become the best versions of themselves.”

He urged bishops, priests and lay people to embrace trust in God’s providence and to step beyond their comfort zones, leaving behind the old and opening themselves to new inspirations.

Rebuilding trust

One of the strongest themes of the homily was the need to rebuild trust, something he said has been badly damaged by failures in both society and the Church.

Rebuilding this trust, he added, requires honesty, transparency, compassion and a sincere renewal of spirit among Church leaders. Trust, he said, is “a foundational pillar of unity,” without which the Church cannot fulfil its mission.

From words to action

Cardinal Brislin also warned that the credibility of the Church depends on the alignment between its message and its actions. Quoting the Letter of James: “faith without action is dead”, he reminded IMBISA that their mission must be to embody hope through tangible acts of justice, compassion and service.

One example he gave was the recent commissioning of digital missionaries in the region, a sign that the Church is stepping into new contexts and embracing fresh ways of proclaiming the Gospel.

“Never be afraid to entrust an unknown future to a known God,” he quoted Corrie ten Boom, urging the regional Church to anchor itself in faith as it looks to the next 50 years.

Stepping into the future with hope

Cardinal Brislin closed his homily with words of encouragement from the Prophet Isaiah: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary.”

As IMBISA begins its next chapter, he called on the Church in the region to be bold in faith, courageous in action and steadfast in hope, so that the Kingdom of God may become visible in communities across the region.

“May we, too, soar like eagles, run and not grow weary and walk and not grow faint,” he said, inviting the bishops and faithful present to embrace the jubilee spirit of renewal.

The IMBISA Golden Jubilee celebration will take place from 24 to 28 September 2025 in the Diocese of Manzini, Eswatini.