According to the Canon Law (Can. 511), in each diocese, in so far as pastoral circumstances suggest, a pastoral council is to be established. The function, under the authority of the Bishop, is to study and weigh those matters, which concern the pastoral works in the diocese, and to propose practical conclusions concerning them. In the Diocese of Karonga, the Pastoral Council is known as the Pastoral Commission.
The Pastoral Commission oversees the pastoral care ministry, which is the core purpose of the existence of the diocese. It coordinates all the pastoral care ministries, programmes, activities, and policies of the Diocese of Karonga under the guidance of the local ordinary. The commission carries its mandate to fulfil the mission of Christ, which is to go out and evangelize to all nations (Mk 16:15-16).