Banda call-out an attack on Catholic Church – bishops
By George Zulu
THE summoning of the Archdiocese of Lusaka Archbishop Dr Alick Banda by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) for criminal investigations is an attack on the entire Catholic Church and its leadership which should stop immediately, says the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB).
In a stern statement yesterday, ZCCB president Archbishop Ignatius Chama said the Catholic Church was in solidarity with Archbishop Banda and the entire leadership of the church, warning that it would not allow politicians to divide the people of Zambia.
“We the members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops [ZCCB] express our unwavering solidarity with Archbishop Alick Banda and all the Catholic faithful in Zambia in the face of ongoing attacks against the church’s mission and leadership,” the statement said.
Archbishop Chama condemned the call-out issued to Archbishop Banda by DEC’s Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit.
Archbishop Chama described the directive as an attempt to silence Archbishop Banda’s voice as shepherd of the Lusaka Archdiocese and a member of the ZCCB.
“As ZCCB, we view this action as an attempt to suppress his voice as a shepherd of the archdiocese of Lusaka and a member of ZCCB. Archbishop Banda has faced consistent name-calling and what we can now recognise as state-sponsored persecution,” he said.
Archbishop Chama warned the United Party for National Development (UPND) government that what it was doing against the Catholic Church and its leadership was a total abuse of power using State machinery.
“We consider it an abuse of authority for the ruling party to utilise State machinery against an individual due to his stance on national governance and his efforts to hold the government accountable,” he said.
The bishops warned the UPND and its leadership that no effort to silence its prophetic voice would succeed and condemned all forms of intimidation and harassment against the church’s leaders.
Archbishop Chama, head of the Kasama Archdiocese, said such actions wounded the “Body of Christ” and threatened the moral fabric and unity of the nation.
“The Catholic Church has, for many years, stood as a beacon of faith, justice and service to the people of Zambia. Today, as attempts are made to silence her prophetic voice and undermine her pastoral mission, we affirm that the church’s role in defending truth, justice and human dignity cannot be diminished or suppressed.
We therefore condemn all forms of intimidation, harassment and persecution directed against the Catholic Church and her leaders,” he said.
“Once again, the ZCCB expresses full solidarity with Archbishop Banda during this period. We reaffirm that it is morally wrong to use State institutions to persecute those who hold dissenting views and/or provide oversight on matters of governance. Dialogue and mutual respect should be the way to go,” Archbishop Chama said.
