Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference

rdf:langString Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference

rdf:langString Africa

rdf:langString Catholicism

rdf:langString The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) is an episcopal conference consisting of all the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in South Africa, Botswana, and Swaziland, and their equivalents under canon law (apostolic vicars, apostolic administrators, etc.). Founded in March 1947, it is a collegial body approved by the Holy See and has as its particular aim: to provide the bishops of the territories mentioned above with facilities for consultation and united action in such matters of common interest to the Church as consultation and co-operation with other hierarchies; the fostering of priestly and religious vocations; the doctrinal, apostolic and pastoral formation of the clergy, religious and laity; the promotion of missionary activity, catechetics, liturgy, lay apostolate, ecumenism, development, justice and reconciliation, social welfare, schools, hospitals, the apostolate of the press, radio, television, and other means of social communication; and any other necessary activity. In recent times, the Conference's application of the revision of the English translation of the Mass liturgy has been criticized as premature.