President Edgar Lungu’s invitation to the Vatican by the Holy Father Pope Francis is a “major diplomatic coup” as far as uniting Zambians under the umbrella of Christianity and boosting unity is concerned, a senior diplomat has said.
Mr Anthony Mukwita, the Chargé d’affaires at the Zambian mission to Stockholm, Sweden has equally hailed President Lungu’s invitation to France by President Francois Hollande as a ‘ground-breaker’ in enhancing France-Zambia relations in what may become a ‘win-win’ economic relationship soon.
“These two visits are symbolically and diplomatically crucial to Zambia as President Edgar Lungu continues to push Zambia back on the top of the global map as a strong diplomatic player while enhancing Economic Diplomacy at the same time,” Mr Mukwita said.
It is important to note that no Zambian President has received a personal invitation to visit The Pope since independence on record, albeit the Holy See has had wonderful diplomatic relations with Zambia spanning 50 years back.
“Zambia in terms of African catholic population numbers has perhaps one of the fairest numbers standing at about three million Zambian Catholics, or more than a quarter of the population of Zambia…this perhaps shows how important the church is to the Zambian leadership and to the people, albeit the country respects every religion equally,” said the diplomat.
President Lungu joins the short-list of world leaders that have received rare honours to visit “the most revered man in the Christian faith” of 1.2billion people globally.
Others include President Barak Obama who met the Pope in March, 2014 followed by a reciprocal visit in the US last year.
Only six Catholic Popes and twelve US Presidents since 1919 have met, while President Lungu becomes the first Zambian President, by invitation to visit the Pope in 50 years of relations at the Holy See.
Pope Francis has recently visited the Presidents of Central African Republic, Uganda and Kenya in November 2015, at the same time, as he sent his Secretary of Foreign Relations the Archbishop Paul Gallagher to invite President Edgar Lungu to visit him at the Vatican.
President Lungu shall on the same crucial scheduled visit go to France after meeting the director generals of the FAO and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) while in Italy as he pushes a ‘diversification’ agenda.
In France, President Lungu will be the second leader to enjoy an Official Visit at the Élysées Palace.
Late President Frederick Chiluba had a State Visit from 10th to 12th June in 1992 while President Lungu enjoyed a visit to Paris as Minister of Home Affairs in December 2013, making this trip a proverbial ‘home coming’.
Last year, President Hollande sent a very special enjoy, Madame Ségolène Royale, the influential Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy to personally invite President Lungu to this Official visit that breaks a long stand-off between the two countries following President Lungu’s election in 2015.
President Lungu’s Holy Father visit on the other hand has been seen by many as an ’acceptance by the Vatican of his unwavering commitment to God, love and unity.’
It also comes months after President Lungu re-affirmed that Zambia shall remain a Christian nation and also declared 18th October as a national day of prayer and public holiday according to a recent statement by Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda.
Recently President Lungu took time off his heavy schedule to raise money for the inter-denominational ’House of Prayer’ construction at the Government Complex in Lusaka were he continued to beseech Zambians to seek Gods guidance in daily challenges.
Mr Chanda has described both trips” as very important without comparison” to the Christian faith and important to enhancing great French-Zambian relations.
Trade volumes between Zambia and France have recorded an upward rise especially in non-traditional exports in the last five years running in the excess of US$35 million annually.
Some exports from Zambia to France include tobacco, cotton linters, cotton, sunflower and crocodile and snake skins, including turtles.
Mr Chanda adds that the continued invitations and invitations could mean President Lungu is ’pushing the right buttons diplomatically and at home’ despite global challenges affecting every country on the globe currently.
And Mr Mukwita said,” for us as diplomats, every visit (by President Lungu) and out-come thereafter gives us more impetus to sale Zambia as a great country with a great leadership…a global destination amidst global challenges.”
Who wrote this article? You have lots of time to your name. Enjoy while it lasts. “Vatican visits huge score for economic diplomacy”!!! Really? How? Im a Christian and I also know that Catholics have killed more true Christians than any other since the time of the Apostles.
Talking of France, its the most useless country in the EU. Just look at all former French colonies. The French only know hoe to take and never develop tangible infrastructure. Look at civil wars and political turmoil in all former French colonies, DR Congo, Mali, Sierra Leone, Chad, Rwanda, Burundi, etc. The French dont develop. They just take the oil/minerals and cause political confusion. The British are even better. They leave tangible infrastructure in their former colonies.
…only know how to take…
This is a fallacy. The trip to Vatican for Edgar is aimed at boosting his Christian credentials and dupe Zambians to vote for him. To his surprise, Edgar will find that the Vatican id managed by the smartest people who already know his machinations. Edgar has failed this country. We need to retire him in national interest
Enjoy Now as you will soon be called back?? watch the space Anthony???
Mukwita is fighting tooth and nails for SURVIVAL like Emmanuel Mwamba. In fact this TRASH of an article is might have been written and sold by Emmanuel Mwamba.
Nice One
When are we having another public fasting , I miss it me maybe this time let’s do when there’s an eclipse……
What a dull statement! Real PF propaganda! These visits cost thousands and thousands of Dollars….. and when Zambia has a shortage of forex that has caused the Kwacha to collapse.
How many Dollars are these visits going to bring back to Zambia? Talk like this is CHEAP. Show us the results and the figures. Up to now nothing to see!
This is just Lungu taking advantage of, and abusing, unaccounted for Zambian taxpayers money before he gets KICKED OUT IN AUGUST!
Meanwhile at home PF has failed the simple task of paying the University students a basic meal allowance. And Lungu says no-one in Zambia will go hungry! Another PF lie! THESE STUDENTS ARE HUNGRY. While Lungu is eating so much his belly has doubled in size!
@ hogwash don’t worry about hungry students at the old universities there are many NEW universities being built so we will have an abundant supply of hungry students from the new universities and many more universities to close indefinately. It’s all covered my brother.
Ni change apa chabe we want on 11.08.16. Ni HH chabe!
LT how much has PF paid you to peddle this usless propaganda ?? So what if lungu is the first to visit the Pope?? Will the Pope sort out the tumbling kwacha?? pleas tell lung to come and sort out the mess in Zambia.
What a load of cr.p. The Pope is seen by so many and visits so many. Nothing special about Lungu. The PF govt. probably solicited to be invited.
Ah Harold are you sure? I thought it is written in the stars and determined in the heavens. This must be a sign that all the inflation, kwacha depreciation, unemployment, students hunger, tribalism, violence, poverty, food shortage’s, load shedding will dissappear soon. I can’t wait
Or maybe NOT
Every dog has his day…! Ba Mukwita, enjoy while it lasts, for it certainly will come to an end, sooner rather than later!
ANTHONY MUKWITA TRYING HARD TO BE SEEN BY HIS PAY MASTER LUNGU LOL
The Pope is human who needs forgiveness like any other person-there’s nothing special about him. He will be judged the same way RB, King Fred Chiluba, Amos Chanda, Davies Chama, Kambwili and billions of others who will appear before the judgement seat of Christ. The visit is therefore one of the endless PF trips that are draining the coffers.
Some of us knew that the trip will be politicized by PF to gain political mileage. GOD is watching.
I neither face east nor west but forward Nkrumah is reported to have said on explaining why he his non aligned. So I am neither PF nor UPND but a “non aligned” observer of events. To say this is the greatest event that has happened in Zambia is not true because the Pope visited Zambia and the MMD did not politicize it.
Mr. Chanda,
how it can be “economic diplomacy”?
Vatican does not make any economic investment with States and when did Republic of Zambia enter in to BIT with France?
Please stop justifying waste of money.
Ba UPND!!! Take it easy….we are all one Zambia One Nation. Why all this hatred and bitterness ???
Haters will hate
This Mukwita guy is quite pathetic, owes people money in Zambia. People who helped him when he was fired by Sata. He didn’t have two ngwes to rub together. He has been in Sweden and hasn’t bothered to pay back. My dear mans tart paying because soon you will not have a job. Then how will you pay?
What a load of nonsense by these empty tins trying to justify recklessness. …when are Africans going to wake up from this brainwashing of religion . Study their recent history of the selfsame Vatican…they were in bed with Hitler and have done awful things.
In an election year the man is invited to meet with the Pope.. Believe it – This will be a landslide victory for the PF and specifically for His Excellency Edgar Lungu.
Landslide my foot clearly you don’t live in ZM! Cadreism is is a freeze brain occupation and sir its best u got your head out of the freezer called the PF
The statement by son of ….. is a testimony of what this trip is all about.