President Lungu on Thursday said he will in due course meet Church mother bodies to discuss matters raised in a statement by Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) president Telesphore Mpundu
ZCCB secretary general Cleophus Lungu said in an interview yesterday that the Church, as alluded in the statement by archbishop Mpundu, is ready to dialogue.
And Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) executive director Pukuta Mwanza welcomed the planned meeting with a call on Government to frequently dialogue with the Church.
Reverend Mwanza said in an interview yesterday that Government and the Church should frequently meet and dialogue, regardless of the political situation in the nation.
Rev Mwanza said there is also need for the Church and Government to avoid engaging in altercations through the media.
He also called on the media to avoid publishing information that has potential to divide the nation, or lead to civil unrest.
“The media has an important role of disseminating information to the public but that information should be factual and objective enough not to promote anarchy in the nation,” Rev Mwanza said.
Islamic Supreme Council of Zambia (ISCZ) deputy president Musa Saidi described as a “bold mark of good leadership,” President Lungu’s decision to call for a meeting with the Church.
“We [ISCZ] are willing to be part of the dialogue if we are invited,” Sheikh Saidi said.
And in a separate interview, Independent Churches of Zambia board chairperson David Masupa welcomed the planned meeting and prayed that all church mother bodies will attend.
The president does the right thing at right times.
He deseved another round of applause.
Thanks
Bb2014,2016
As usual christians for Lungu, I see a war between Catholics and Pentecostals being engineered by our Presido.
Trying to win a favour after messing things, what a strategy.
Please keep those wako pastors away from the meeting. What does Pukuta Mwanza want in the meeting when he is seeing Lungu every day? Please Your Grace Archbishop Mpundu, be the light to the world, the salt of the earth. Don’t give an inch. Ask Lungu to comply with his own Constitution. Tell him that he will be accountable for all human rights abuses in Zambia, the murders of Mapenzi and Choongwa, and the arrest and torture of HH during the Holy Week. This is the Catholic Church’s new crusade against evil doers in Zambia. Lungu is Satan’s dark angel of death in Zambia.
Chi pukuta mwanza chali pukuta.
I pray that Pukuta Mwanza and Joshua Banda be excluded from this meeting. They will be of no value here since their main interest is money.
@ 1.2, ZEC is a wise, knowldegeable, experienced and firm unit which I am confident will deal with our grievances. This unit is slow to act for a reason..it can make or break. ZEC’s concern is us the common Zambians and God almighty will answer us through our Bishops. The brown envelop doesn’t work with this unit, sorry PF!
Wise move by the President and our spiritual leaders. We have a Government and President in office. Lets drive and consolidate national peace and unity in diversity to thrive.
Reverend Mwanza, the reason this administration cannot afford to turn-off release valves in a democracy. Constructive divergent views or criticism is what President Lungu needs like yesterday. Let it flow freely be it from intra-party or inter-party. Such will be the most valuable incentive to his success trajectory. Hardwork and smart shifts in power politics anchored on results of common good will render his critics impotent. The President need to guard his institutional office powers against hardliners. He needs more mature rationalists than reactionary supporters. Such only creates him some fire fighting tasks which could all but avoided. I strongly believe President Lungu is a perfect fit to lead the country. As an activist, my faith and solidarity for his Presidency are unflinching…
I’m not comfortable when our Holy Catholic Church is mixing itself with fake hypocritical churches. There is only one Holy Catholic Church. So if the president want to meet with our Bishops, he must do so separately and not together with fake leadership of other churches. The Bishops will undermine themselves if they do that.
The Catholic Bishops have raised their own concerns that the wako pastors never did. The Catholic Bishops should have a separate meeting with Pontius Pilate away from the Moslem Imams and the Wako Pastors. If the pentes and moslems are unhappy with Lungu let them write their own mammoth letter of complaints.
Yes let Catholic bishops meet him, not those Islamic imams and wako ni wako fake bishops whose church at northmead is next to Lusaka’s red light district. I really regret going to Northmead assemblies on several occasions.
@DJ Deno: Be careful with your words. Everyone must respect each other’s religion. There are full confirmed historical facts of how the catholic church oppressed people in middle age Europe and how they twisted the Bible so as to oppress people and this led to the protestant movement; they are not the holiest as you want to put it. Let us not delve into religious debates and concentrate on the matter at hand. Protestantism and in particular Pentacostalism is now part of the Zambian societal fibre and should be respected as such, and this includes the Muslim community as well!!
PLEASE IF THE CHURCH IS MINDFUL OF WHAT THE CURRENT SCENARIO THE COUNTRY IS GOING THROUGH THE MUST LECTURE MR. LUNGU WITHOUT HIDING HIM OF ANY AS TO WHY THESE MESSES WERE EXPERIENCING AS AT NOW. START WITH HOLDING TO POWER WHEN ELECTIONS WERE ON INSTEAD OF LETTING THE SPEAKER BE, THE MALPRACTICES OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION, THE GN12 MISSING, HH’S VOTES DUMPED INTO DUST BIN, THE HANDLING OF THE PETITION BY THE CON-COURT, THE KILLINGS AND BEATINGS OF THE INNOCENT PEOPLE BY THE PF CADRES BUT NO ARRESTS, KEEPING ON THE MPS WHEN THEIR TIME OF STAY WAS OVER, THE ACTION OF POLICE TODAY, A LOT OF ISSUES
IF YOU ARE REAL A CHURCH THAT IS CONCERNED PLEASE TALK AND DONT LEAVE OUT ANYTHING AND WE WANT THIS DISCUSSION TO BE OPEN THAT WE MAY HEAR YOU WELL.
What is there to discuss. Just say that lungu is now trying to buy these people off. Lungu can’t stand the truth and will go to whatever length to achieve his illegal aims. What a goon.
“To do justice is to love God” and “To love God is to do Justice”. Lungu is a Devil incarnate who loves to inflict pain and suffering on HH simply becoz HH has Petitioned the 2016 Election Results and has refused to Recognize him as the Legitimate President. Lungu is abusing State Institutions like ZPS ,the Army and the Courts to fight his personal wars. Lungu is persecuting his Opponents to establish a One Man Party Dictatorship and Rule Zambia forever. Lungu is persecuting HH and UPND,Tonga Chiefs and all those opposed to his views and his misrule. Any Dialogue with Dictator Lungu must start with the unconditional release of HH from Jail and the dropping of the Trumped Up Treason Charges. There cannot be any meaningful Dialogue without Hearing the Petition in Court. The Disputed and…
All Zambians are equal in God’s eyes whether Muslim, Pentecostal, Catholic or Reformed etc. None is superior to the other in terms of holiness. It is therefore wrong and sinful to spiritually look down upon. others. Let God be the only judge over those whom He has created, belonging to a certain church or cult does not give one that authority! Remember the story of Lucifer?
@Zuze u are spot on. The Dialogue will not achieve anything without external Mediation. We know the source of this heightened Tension,disharmony and political instability is the Disputed and Petitioned 2016 Election. A similar Dispute arose in Gambia and it was resolved by the AU and Ecowas. AU and SADC needs to mediate the Zambian Dispute and resolve the matter in the same way. Lungu’s strategy of using force to compel the Petitioners to recognize him without Hearing the Petition will not yield the desired results.Lungu is fighting the Petitioners,Tonga Chiefs and all those who oppose him and his illegitimate Rule. Lungu cannot silence everybody and win this War that he has started. The AU and SADC where are u when Zambia is burning?
No, not Pukuta Mwaza, Joshua Banda, Danny Pule, and Ndlovu. Twalibasula fiwelewele.
The good for nothing Christians for Lungu(Pukuta, J Banda and co) are disgrace to the nation and not be allowed to take part. They do not have an iota of morality left in them to truly speak for Zambians. Congratulations to the Catholic for standing up for the people
After discussing,then we will see results,the police will be more lenient,the statehouse aids will be more professional.HH cases will be dismissed.Someone slap me I come out of this dreams
I am Pentecostal but I have a problem with planning a meeting with a group that did not see anything wrong with the current issues in the country. THE MEETING SHOULD BE FOR THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS WHO WROTE THE LETTER. if others don’t write a letter it means they see nothing wrong. please don’t allow them.
Spot on brother!
Meeting with ifiwelewele. Ifiwelewele nibani? Joshua Banda, Pukutu Mwanza, Danny Pule. Former christians who meet with the president everyday but there demonic souls are not able to see the wrong direction the country is taking because of the bad political leadership. Shame on them. Holy fathers will you please only have a meeting without ifiwelewele.
all these steps are meant to distract people s attention the really route course; the petition of 2016 elections. the arrest of the main opposition leader hh . if any thing has to be discussed let hh be released unconditionally and let the petition be heard to close the chapter . otherwise it will useless.
Telesphore, shouldnt you have retired by now?
God as you are holy please we need your justice, have pity on your people who are suffering, due with those who think are superior than others.
The Bishop got PF scared. Now they want to talk.