Faith & Community
Distinguished
Telesphore Mpundu
1947 – 2026
The archbishop who told Zambia's presidents the truth
Distinguished is level 3 of 4 in the Zambia Hall of Fame: sustained excellence over a career, widely honoured at home. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
Bishop of Mbala for nineteen years and then Archbishop of Lusaka, he built a reputation for saying plainly to whoever held power what others would not.
Telesphore George Mpundu was born at Kapatu Mission on 21 May 1947, ordained priest in 1972, installed Bishop of Mbala in 1987 and served there nineteen years before becoming Archbishop of Lusaka from 2006 to 2018.
He served several terms as president of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops and was widely known for civic courage — calling successive Zambian governments to account on governance and social justice when few others in public life would. In 2024 he was excommunicated after consecrating a bishop without the approval of Rome, a dispute over church authority rather than conduct; he died on 15 May 2026, and President Hichilema led the tributes to him.
He served several terms as president of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops and was widely known for civic courage — calling successive Zambian governments to account on governance and social justice when few others in public life would. In 2024 he was excommunicated after consecrating a bishop without the approval of Rome, a dispute over church authority rather than conduct; he died on 15 May 2026, and President Hichilema led the tributes to him.
- Wikipedia — Telesphore George Mpundu
- AMECEA — Zambia's Archbishop Emeritus of Lusaka, Telesphore Mpundu, dies at 79
- CISA News Africa — Excommunicated former Lusaka Archbishop Mpundu laid to rest amid tributes to his prophetic voice
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