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                                       His Grace, the most Rev. Luciano Anzanga.

Founder and Archbishop-Metropolitan of CANCZ.

His Grace, the Most Rev. Luciano Mbewe was born on 9^th September, 1955 in Chipata- Zambia, Africa. His father Silver Alfonso Mbewe grew up a Catholic while his mother Tione Evelyn Ngoma Daka, came from the SDA tradition. His Grace attended primary education at Kaphinde and Secondary at Chizongwe, both in the city of Chipata, Zambia. He began his studies for Roman Catholic priesthood at St. Augustine’s, Major Seminary, Mpima, in the city of Kabwe in 1976.

After graduating with a merit in philosophical studies in 1979, St. Augustine’s Major Seminary staff recommended him for further studies abroad in theology. Thus he attended All Hallows College, Ireland, from 1979-1983 obtaining a distinction in theology from Maynooth University, Dublin. He was ordained a priest of the Zambian Roman Church on 14^th August, 1983 by the now late Bishop Dennis Harold De Jong of Ndola Diocese.

He was sent to lecture theology at the Major Seminary at St. Dominic’s Lusaka, from 1983-1985. He was then sent to Ndola in 1985 to acquire pastoral experience in parishes.

In 1986, his Bishop sent him to Nairobi-Kenya to study Church law and Management at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He returned to Zambia for a year’s parish work at St. Stephen’s Parish, Twapia-Ndola. In 1988, he began his MA studies at St. Paul’s University, Ottawa, Canada in Church law. He scored a Magna Cum Laude there, this now was in 1990.

He was the Bishop’s confidant in church law matters when he returned home to Zambia in September, 1990. He served first as secretary of the Ndola Diocese Priests’ senate and later as its chairman. Peers elected him as the National President for the Association of Zambian Diocesan Catholic Clergy. He held this post till his resignation from the Roman Catholic priesthood in 2001. The crucial reason he cited for resigning was the difficulty he had of being faithful to mandatory celibacy. He then began with others to advocate for the restoration of a married priesthood in the church. It was clear to him that the Bible never ever prescribes mandatory celibacy. Our founder gradually concluded that the establishment of an independent National Catholic Apostolic Church was indispensable to the equation.

In 2006, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, who has been a strong inspiration to him, escaped from Vatican confinement. He re-united with his wife, Maria Sung. The two sought refuge in the U.S.A in September, 2006. Our founder attended the Married Priests’ Convocation at Holiday Inn Hotel Saddlebrook, New York. There he helped to write the Canonical instruments for the ordination of married Bishops, whom Archbishop Milingo ordained in Washington DC on 24^th September, 2006. These were: Archbishop Peter Paul Brenan, Archbishop Patrick Trujillo, Archbishop Augustus George Stallings, and Bishop Joseph Gouthro. Our founder attended yet another meeting of married priests at Sheraton Hotel, New Jersey in December of the same year. A host of Bishops were in attendance this time. It became clear then that the founding of our own national independent Catholic Church was the only viable option left. The founder began to mobilize supporters to register the church.

On 5^th December, 2007, he announced to the nation the formation of the new church: the Catholic Apostolic National Church of Zambia. The reaction from the Roman church was swift and vicious. The founder became the target of relentless attacks from the Zambian Roman Church officials. The officials have objected to the use of the word ‘catholic’ as if it was a preserve of one single church. We have made it clear the word has been used by many other churches throughout the world with different combinations. None of these churches has ever been taken to court for the use of the word catholic by the Roman Church. We wonder why it should be so here in Zambia, Africa. But the battle must go on. We have the right to have our own independent Catholic Church. We are indeed cognizant of the fact that we will pay a very high price for the project but then, we can do no other thing, and so God help us.