PASTORAL SOLIDARITY STATEMENT.
IN SOLIDARITY WITH HIS GRACE ARCHBISHOP ALICK BANDA AND AN APPEAL TO GOVERNMENT!
“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.
I have received with a heavy heart the statement from the Archdiocese of Lusaka regarding the renewed summons of His Grace, Archbishop Alick Banda, to appear before the Drug Enforcement Commission on Monday, 28th September.
As a fellow servant of the Gospel, as a Zambian, and as a Pastor called to be a bridge, I cannot remain silent.
I stand in prayerful solidarity with His Grace, Archbishop Alick Banda, with the entire Catholic Church in Zambia, and with all the faithful who will gather in prayer at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus on Monday morning.
This is not a political statement. It is a pastoral duty.
The Church is not an opponent of the State. The Church is the Pillar of Truth, the conscience of the Nation, the mother that gave birth to this democracy. When Zambia was in chains, it was the Church that spoke. When Zambia was bleeding, it was the Church that bandaged. When Zambia is lost, it is still the Church that points the way home.
Therefore, I humbly appeal to our Government, to our brothers and sisters in Government, in DEC, in all offices connected to this matter, many of whom are themselves committed Christians; My brothers, please, let us stop battles with the Church.
We can disagree. We can investigate. The law must be allowed to do its work, and as the Archdiocese has said, we must remain respectful of the law. Archbishop Banda himself has always submitted to the law.
But let us do it in a way that preserves the dignity of the Church and the peace of the Nation.
When you touch the shepherd, the sheep tremble. And when the sheep tremble, the whole nation shakes.
The Scripture I carry to you today is for you, the Christians in Government, “Respect those who labor among you and care for you in the Lord.”
The Archbishop has labored. He has cared for Zambia in the Lord for decades, in prisons, in hospitals, in villages, in State House, in times of elections and in times of funerals. Respect him not because he is above the law, but because his office carries a weight that law alone cannot carry.
If we normalize summons of Archbishops, what will we do with ordinary Pastors? If we normalize fear in the pulpit, who will speak for the poor when the poor have no voice?
Zambia wants a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. We will earn that seat not by the eloquence of our speech in Geneva, but by how we treat our own prophets at home.
I call upon all Zambians, regardless of party or denomination:
1. On Monday, let us be peaceful. No insults. No stones. Only prayers.
2. Let the DEC do its work with professionalism and dignity, and let the Archbishop be accorded the honor due to his sacred office.
3. Let us, after Monday, sit as Church and State and ask: How did we get here, and how do we ensure we never get here again?
The Government and the Church need each other. One holds the sword, the other holds the conscience. A nation needs both to stand.
I am praying for His Grace Archbishop Alick Banda. I am praying for the officers at DEC. I am praying for President Hakainde Hichilema and for our beloved Zambia.
May peace reign.
Rev. Peter K. Nsama.
Lusaka, 26th September 2026.
”I am praying for His Grace Archbishop Alick Banda. I am praying for the officers at DEC. I am praying for President Hakainde Hichilema and for our beloved Zambia. May peace reign.” – Rev. Peter K. Msama.
Amen!