Catholic Bishops write to President Hakainde Hichilema over the dishonorable conduct of the Police
●”….Therefore, the Conference condemns in strongest terms every form of intimidation and
violation of privacy against the prelates of the Church, their premises and that of innocent
citizens in the course of the Church doing what is its mission and service….”
Your Excellency,
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops
REF:Dishonourable conduct of state police towards the Bishop and former HEAD OF STATE
We, members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), write your Excellency to
register our deep displeasure concerning the conduct of State Police Officers towards the
Bishop of Kabwe, the Rt. Rev Clement Mulenga and the former Head of State Dr. Edgar
Changwa Lungu, which happened on Friday 17t May, 2024, when the former Head of State paid a courtesy call on the Bishop.
Your Excellency, the Conference would like to state categorically that the incident in question was incredibly scandalous and intimidating.
It was a serious invasion of the Bishop’s privacy
which was unwarranted in any way.
The Church in general and shepherds of souls in particular
have the right, duty and liberty to welcome and listen to every human person, without any
form of discrimination.
This is in fulfilment of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ who said: “Come to me, all you who labour and are over-burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew
11:28).
Even without the nation being called Christian, it is normal for people with all sorts of physical, spiritual, material, and psychological challenges to seek solace in the Church.
Therefore, the Conference condemns in strongest terms every form of intimidation and
violation of privacy against the prelates of the Church, their premises and that of innocent
citizens in the course of the Church doing what is its mission and service.
It should also be reminded that despite being a public institution, the Church is in a diplomatic relationship with the State.
Therefore, going forward, the Zambla Conference of Catholic
Bishops (ZCCB) would like to see the Church’s premises and Its ministers respected and their rightful dignity and autonomy upheld without what was witnessed in the Bishop’s office on
Friday 17″ May 2024.
Yours sincerely,
Most Rev. Ignatius Chama.
Archbishop of Kasama and
ZCCB President
The church must understand that Lungu is fighting the government; they must be sensitive to this! So if Lungu begins to visits Fathers and some churches , whilst at the same time fighting the government, what does it mean? They are an accomplice to Lungu’ s activities including his inflammatory utterances at Dunamis church. In the past, some church leaders have made serious utterances against the president in an attempt to disuade him from performing his duties. Let there be no double standards!
Besides the apology was made already unless it was not accepted?
But government should always stay within course, both in terms of law and existing institutional diplomacy with Catholic Church, regardless of who is fighting them. You and the government must know and understand the Catholic Church.
You don’t just walk into the Catholic Church premise like you are going into a toilet. Catholic church has an embassy just the same way US and UK do ..muleishiba utuntu.
A government could have understood this better than you. And the Church needed to put this on record, just for you guys to understand..
The Catholic Church is not beyond reproach. As such like all persons and institutions. We are equal before the law.
That officer was justified to walk into that meeting. The Catholic Church must realise that while the officer maybe not have articulatued himself properly (English is our second language), his message was clear.
In the event of a mob in the area. There was not enough security to protect Lungu. A lapse by lungu’s security team to inform the Police of their stop in Kabwe, Kasanda Area.
Nothing to do with the meeting but a lapse of Lungu’s security detail to inform the Police of the stop in Kabwe Kasanda area.
We all know and understand operarions of a security nature are “hasg hash”. Lungu knows that too. But to exploit this lapse and for the Church to now use it, as a moment to grandstand after an apology was made is unfortunate and now just a political move. The Church and your comment suggest that the Church has become a political player. The church should be a neutral body. The situation that occured was unfortunate and a clear lapse in communication to ensure adequate security was available for Lungu.
Lungu must not brash things like this aside. Tomorrow when his life is in danager, he will be the same person to claim what Chisenga wants to suggest. The “government was involved in burning her home”. When we all know that is far from the truth.
I reiterate, everyone has the right to their freedoms, and the xhurch has that right to. But staying the course of objective neutrality while playing its role is important for the church. NO ONE TREATED THE CHURCH LIKE A TOILET AS YOU WANT TO SUGGEST. But the security (and a laspe of it by LUNGU’S security detail) is what happened here. And the officer’s only fault was failing to articulate this properly. The Bishop also misunderstood, alot of what was being said. Government apologised on behalf of the Police, but the tone you take bwana; is also wrong. The Church must understand what government is doing for its people. And in its message the Church must also understand its role in society to preach hope and unity. We all have heard that that is not that Lungu shares. He wants to be President again, at all costs. To whose benefit? What will he do for Zambians other than plaunder and abuse on group of people against another? Is that what you preach ba Clearly MonaLux?
I strongly agree the church is now a political wing .that explains why politicians are always pushing the churches
Let Hakainde know that he is not an absolute Monarch..If he can put the 3 arms of Government in his pocket , he can’t put the Church in his pocket..LET HIM KNOW THIS.
The Church has a role in the life of a human being…from birth to death.
Before the state , is a human being. The Church is humanity..and as Christians it’s the body of Christ with us and within us. Hakainde’s police officer storming the office of a BISHOP, mwebantu! What kind of Zambia is this?
We haven’t seen anything like this in this country… Invading the sanctity of the Bishop’s office.
Totally shocked…
Hallucinating Hypocrite always spewing PF venom against the President to plesse your ego idiot iwe. You PF idiot we know you derive toxic pleasure to see Edgar Lungu on high drive attacking legitimate government. Abash guntrotting and Panga Wielding PF criminals forever.
This is too much. The government apologised what more do you people want?
Shouldn’t the Bishops be writing to the chief of police?
When did the President become the Police IG?
Are we not jumping the gun here?
While the concerns are legitimate, the act of jumping protocol carries political undertones and insinuation that it was the president who sent the officers to do what they did!
This is the classic case of the church being caught up in political issues because of not taking the Peacemaker neutral ground!
The only way to restore harmony is for the Bishops to guide all clergy in Zambia to desist from preaching politics in churches!
It is dangerous!
We must be cognizant of the fact that out congregants are a diverse mix, hence the need to be sensitive with what we preach!
It’s human nature to want to be dogmatic about being right but wisdom has the ability to soar above simple misunderstandings in a “give and take” way.
Let the church instead champion the resuscitation of the Inter-party Dialogue Forum like we had during the days of VJ.
The church should not be in a “cho-chise” standoff with the State.
When the Church engages in politics, it reduces it’s status!
Scripture says: Do not rebuke a leader of the people in public (1Timothy 5:1-2).
The Church Bishops are found wanting on this score because they could have found time to engage the Head of State in a more dignified and respectful way behind the scenes!
You may not like the person who occupies the Seat of President but we are under Divine Command to respect those in positions of Authority!
We all must Respect the President for the sake of the PRESIDENCY and the good of the nation!
Let the Bishops help to create peace and avoid being dragged into dirty partisan squabbles!
As Christians we claim to be, we must have big hearts to sometimes laugh off some of these happening to avoid being swept off our feet by the propaganda of desperate politicians who wish to paint everything about the government black!
Since you have already written to the President, find time to meet him.
Those who have been Managers will tell you that sometimes overzealous junior officers may do things that you don’t agree with, not necessarily that you have sanctioned those actions.
We need to slow down on the anger in the nation! This is the time our country needs more peacemakers.
Unfortunately, the Church in general is failing in that regard because it’s not taking a neutral stand on many issues!
Let the Clergy emulate us farmers!
We deliberately oversupplied Tomatoes to Soweto to crash the price from K600 per box to K50. Sorry to those who were hardest hit by the drop in prices but as farmers who have been in farming for a long time, we’ll tell you that farming is not just about the money, but feeding the nation at reasonable cost.
Soon we’ll do the same to Mealie Meal when we offload Winter Maize!
There are many ways we can help our nation.
The Clergy is better placed to help their congregants to be self-sufficient through food production!
We have too many idle people muma komboni. Encourage them to be productive through low capital ventures like Agriculture!
Let each church come up with production units for the youths.
Trust me, you will have abundant Tithes and offering in your various churches.
Let’s guard ourselves from the infectious negative energy from our politicians who have nothing much to offer, except to sow seeds of discord and division!
Temweni abalwani benu!
Forgive the overzealous officers and move on!
Clearly you have no idea of what the Catholic encompasses, besides preaching love and civil justice. Go back to read more and you’ll appreciate that your own write up is inupdated.
Then, secondly, how can the Catholic Church write the Inspector general, who works under the president who is the commander in chief. And prior to this, Mwiimbu addressed a press conference attempting justifying deeds by the overzeaalous police?
And, isn’t it just in order for the church to address the matter directly to the president, since the incidence in question boarders on diplomatic breaches? Surely no police could go in the offices of the US Embassy and perform as they did!
So, the zccb needed to lecture the entire state about this, starting with the one who appoints them all..
Bwana you are being emotional. Stop being narrow minded and also look at the facts that transpired.
Chiyoka’s initial statement was correct. What changed? Have the facts of what happened changed?
What makes the church feel bigger the Zambian people? Has the Xhurch never erred? I state again. Why did Lungu stop in Kabwe, with ensuring that adequate security was available?
A simple call by his Security team.
Lets also remember that mobilising adequate security takes time and resources. Who pays for all that? The tax payer. Who benefits from these conversations that Lungu us having with the Church? While they maybe healthy for democracy and goverance. They are a cost to taxpayers. In the background, security has to be accorded to Lungu by virture of his prior appointment. That is a fact. He may have relinquished his benefits but there certain perks that are being provided “discretely” for his own well being. He should pretending. This was just a secrity lapse. And his people are very aware of this and the church should not allow themselves to be used. The Government apologized
The more reason I am a PROUD CATHOLIC. You cannot extend your intimidation to us. Uko kwine bamishiba ku SDA. Atase, ichibeleshi!
Catholics are immoral your Pope has allowed gay marriages what can you teach about human dignity .their is no principle in your faith look at your bishops doing politics when did you hear a catholic bishop preach salvation
I wish you could have written to Lungu when gassing of citizens was going on. That was more deadly. We needed you then at that critical time.
Who knows, gassing could have been the work of UPND to make PF unpopular. The same way Kambwili”s tribal remarks against Tongas were at the instigation of UPND, as Mweetwa told us, to make PF unpopular.
I come to understand that Catholic is against HH being the president just because he is not of their faith.
Imagine how quick were they to rebuke the viper Edgar Chagwa Lungu during his leadership when he did all atrocious evil activities?
They go ahead even when the government officials apologies? What do they want HH do to them?
HH is a man of principles who doesn’t tolerate nonsense. Do they want to fire all officers?
When IG Musamba said that there we’re PF cadres in uniform, what did some PF and other PF sympathizers in the name of NGOs say ?
The Church is being hypocritical in this instance. Another case like the BRE Prime Minister failing to control his subjects who have gone rogue.
A security lapse is now being turned into more than what it is.
I agree, why didn’t they write to the IG? The church is being political. The apology was made ….so bafuna chani aba bantu? When pipo were being killed under Lungu, they never wrote any letter to him. The issue here us that the Catholics want the government to apologize to Lungu as well! Never! Let Lungu die with his baby in the stomach. After meeting the Father in Kabwe, he went to make very inflammatory statements st Dan pule’s building. Us that what they discussed with the Father? Let the church not play double standards!
The word of God also says every soul must be subject to the ruling authorities and fear him who has authority in Romans 13. Therefore, it’s not right to plot against the government of the day
We don’t want Zambia to go Rwandan way where priests staged in Genocide. Catholic priests have not condemned Dan Pule and they are mute even to an extent where the so called UKA can use palatable language of divide and rule calling one part as Zambezi Region, what does this mean? Are we happy to be called like that? Is it going to occur well if we said Zambia be divided when we are full of intermarriages? Awe, mwe bapatili. Twakana. We know what happened in Rwanda where history is linked to Genocide….and I quote
“Athanase Seromba (born 1963) is a Catholic priest from Rwanda who was found guilty of committing genocide and of crimes against humanity during the Rwandan genocide”
If there are some priests who have evil intensions of divide and rule like we have seen some prophets of doom who are fond of inflicting fear in people, awe twakana mukwai. We have only one country and please if you mean well, tame that snake which want to divide this Nation.
With I colloquial language mwandini twalandapo naifwe mukwai !!!!!
I expected the Bishops to also address the issue of using the pulpit for political statements by politicians and some priests.
Correct…another case of double standards….
We have to be careful of those trying to evade the crimes that they commited and a Church that allows itself to be used for political means. Yes people are going through a tough time. But that is not a reason to use that as a means for Church to lose its role direction and become political.
The Roman Catholic think it is the only Religious establishment in the world that is democratic and it is free to advise and condemn others. Meanwhile, their boss, the Pope is there allowing GAYS to marry each other against the Almighty GOD’s DOCTRINE. Besides, who says the PULPIT is supposed to be used as a POLITICAL STAGE by Politicians?? This is NONSENSICAL by the Roman Catholics. PERIOD.