UPND must introspect, reconcile with Catholics
WE SAID a few days ago that Cornelius Mweetwa, the minister of Information and Media, and his cronies in the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration are wasting their time by believing they can successfully separate priests from the Catholic Church and ‘lynch’ them in their individual capacities.
We wish to restate here again that the ‘isolate and lynch a priest’ strategy by the UPND is a futile endeavour that will only end in tears for those who seek to go down this destructive path.
Just 72 hours after Mweetwa’s emotional outburst and vicious attack on Auxiliary Bishop Gabriel Phiri of the Chipata Catholic Diocese, the church has defended him directly and indirectly, which vindicates us that this method will not work out well for the UPND. We now wonder how Mweetwa will react to Chipata Dioceses Bishop George Lungu’s diplomatic, mature and measured response to his emotional tirade and threats on Bishop Phiri. However, it is already clear that his answer to Bishop Lungu will be one of intolerance and arrogance.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Right Reverend Bishop Lungu said priests had a God-given mandate of acknowledging the good and denouncing the evil in society.
“Bishop Gabriel Msipu Phiri, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Chipata and I have a God-given mandate and therefore remain resolved to play our prophetic role, which includes acknowledging the good and denouncing the evil in society.
“We are mindful of the call that remains relevant to us and our flock, including our political leaders. Our doors for meaningful dialogue remain open. As such, Bishop Msipu and I will continue to engage the government on issues of major concern emanating from our local communities under our pastoral care,” Lungu said.
And in his homily during a mass celebrating Ash Wednesday, Archbishop of Lusaka Dr Alick Banda said no amount of intimidation, insinuation, inuendo and blatant lies will stop the Church from speaking the truth.
“The only solution is to deliver on the promises, and to address real problems affecting the Zambian people. You cannot continue micromanaging the feelings of people with propaganda. The real truth is people are hungry, people are angry. Take it or leave it,” Dr Banda said.
As stated by Bishop Lungu and Archbishop Banda, it is evident that the church and its priests will not be deterred from their prophetic mission of praising good and condemning evil in society.
We believe that Mweetwa and his UPND are wasting their time by continuing to attack priests in their individual capacities whenever they are reminded of their campaign promises of heaven on earth, which stand in stark contrast to the extreme poverty and high cost of living that Zambians have endured over the last four years.
We wish to state here again that it is unwise for the UPND to believe that they can separate and attack priests who speak out on issues affecting the people without attracting public sympathy.
Therefore, it is inconceivable for the UPND to believe that it can persuade the Catholic Church to renounce its timeless social teachings, which it has been utilising to instruct its faithful on how to lead respectable lives and build a just society which protects the weak.
We would also not be wrong to conclude that considering Mweetwa’s attacks on Bishop Phiri, the recent talks between President Hakainde Hichilema and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have not accomplished their goal of resolving the perceived differences between the UPND administration and the Church.
In our view, genuine reconciliation begins and ends with the UPND. The UPND should start by apologising to Archbishop Banda for calling him ‘Lucifer’ because that not only injured the prelate but also the millions of the Catholic faithful both in Zambia and across the world. The unfulfilled campaign promises have undoubtedly angered Zambians, and the UPND would be wise to heed the advice of the Church and its leaders.
