Patrick Augustine Kalilombe (28 August 1933 – 25 September 2012)
/ref> was a Roman Catholic theologian who was the Bishop of Lilongwe from 1972 to 1979. Kalilombe was born in

Mua, Malawi Mua is a village in the Dedza District of Malawi, close to the Dezda Plateau. The village is the seat of the most ancient Roman Catholic mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Relig ...

hen Nyasaland He was ordained a priest with the

White Fathers The White Fathers (french: Pères Blancs), officially the Missionaries of Africa ( la, Missionarii Africae) abbreviated MAfr), are a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right (for Men) Founded in 1868 by then Ar ...

in 1958, and joined the staff at Kachebere Seminary in 1964, being appointed

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

in 1968. In 1972 he was ordained

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Lilongwe Diocese in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, but in 1976 a conflict arose between the church and the government of

Hastings Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the Prime Minister of Malawi, prime minister and later President of Malawi, president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm) ...

. According to Kalilombe himself, the church was accused of "forming clandestine subversive groups which were working against the

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

and did not show respect and obedience to the Life President."Kalilombe, "My Faith, My Life, My Theology and My Country," p. 36 Kalilombe was asked to leave the country, and when he did return briefly in July 1976, he was placed under

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

. However, he did not resign as bishop until 1979. Margaret Hebblethwaite suggests that "several years later the bishops of Malawi supported the view that Kalilombe would not be welcomed back." Kalilombe obtained a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

before taking up an appointment as Third World Lecturer in the Mission Department of the

Selly Oak Colleges Selly Oak Colleges was a federation of educational facilities which in the 1970s and 1980s was at the forefront of debates about ecumenism - the coming together of Christian churches and the creation of new united churches such as the Church of ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. In 1987 he became Director of the Ecumenical Centre for Black and White Christian Partnership.Kalilombe, "My Faith, My Life, My Theology and My Country," p. 39 He had been described as the "darling of Catholic progressives in Britain."

References

External links

Dictionary of African Christian Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalilombe, Patrick 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malawi White Fathers priests Malawian theologians 1933 births 2012 deaths University of California, Berkeley alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Lilongwe 20th-century Roman Catholic theologians