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The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) was established by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) in the post-Apartheid era as the official channel of communication between the Catholic Church and the Government of South Africa.
Its mandate was subsequently expanded to encourage other dioceses to consider the establishment of local CPLOs, thereby fostering engagement with the Parliaments and Governments of their respective countries within the Central and Southern African region.
This extension reflects the CPLO’s broader mission to promote dialogue, collaboration, and advocacy on issues of governance, public policy, and social justice, in full alignment with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
It enables the Church, as a critical part of civil society, to participate meaningfully in public discourse on matters of policy and legislation that impact the lives of people.
Through the CPLO, the Church engages with politics, economics, development, and social issues, ensuring its voice is present in shaping policies and advocating for the common good. This engagement is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, which provides a moral framework for addressing contemporary challenges.
The establishment of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) in Eswatini, while rooted in a longstanding vision, has been vigorously advanced in recent years under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. José Luis Ponce de León IMC, Bishop of the Diocese of Manzini.
Foundational groundwork was formally initiated during training sessions convened on 18–19 April 2023 at the Chancery in Manzini, conducted under the auspices of the SACBC CPLO Head Office in Cape Town.
This initiative signifies a strategic effort to institutionalize the Church’s engagement with governance structures in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
A five-member team, led by Rev. Fr. Sakhile Ndwandwe, has been tasked with implementing the action plan to establish a fully functional CPLO office