The Three Church Mother Bodies have called on Zambians to attend a church service that will be held tomorrow at the Anglican Cathedral of Holy Cross in Lusaka to pray for a successful national dialogue and reconciliation process.
The three Church mother bodies say the purpose of the church service will to officially launch the national dialogue process.
This is according to a statement issued to ZNBC NEWS this evening by Council of Churches in Zambia-CCZ- Communications Manager Michael Mazakaza.
Mr. Mazakaza say the church expects President Edgar Lungu and all opposition political parties to be in attendance for the church service.
They have however emphasized that Members of Political Parties wearing party regalia for the church service will not be allowed in to be part of the event.
The three church mother bodies comprise the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference for Catholic Bishops (ZCCB).
Earlier today during a press briefing, Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya said that President Edgar Lungu will not attend the launch of the dialogue process tomorrow because he has not received an official invitation from the Conveners.
Ms. Siliya said that the office of the President does not consider invitations that are sent in less than 48 hours to the event.
She told journalists that as of yesterday the secretary to the Cabinet had not received any invitation for President Lungu to attend any dialogue meeting.
Ms. Siliya however said President Lungu is eager to attend a summit of political party presidents to dialogue on issues that were agreed on by political Party Secretary Generals at a meeting in Siavonga.
She said government is concerned that the parties that are supposed to manage the dialogue process are not able to agree with each other to speak with one voice.
Ms. Siliya has urged the Zambia Centre for Inter Party Dialogue and the church to tell Zambians the way forward because they have waited for a long time for the process that could have been concluded years back and deserve to see a logical conclusion of the process.
But different political parties have confirmed that they are attending the National dialogue slated for tomorrow, Friday January 18TH, 2019.
United party for National Development (UPND) Secretary general Steven Katuka said his party will be in attendance despite the ZCID board withdrawing from the dialogue process.
Mr. Katuka has also accused the ZCID board members of not having the heart for Zambians.
And National Restoration Party (NAREP) secretary general Ezra Ngulube said the action by ZCID board to abscond from the National Dialogue will make it lose credibility.
Mr. Ngulube has however said his party will be in attendance and it is very comfortable with the church chairing the meeting.
And Peoples Alliance for Change(PAC) president Andyford Banda confirmed his attendance and urged other political parties to do so as the meeting is aimed at improving national dialogue in the country.
And Patriots for Economic Progress-PEP- party president Sean Tembo also confirmed his attendance to ZNBC news.
And the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia General Secretary Pukuta Mwanza said ZCID has not written an official letter to the three church mother bodies on its decision to with draw from the national dialogue process.
Reverend Mwanza however said all is set for tomorrow’s dialogue process.
Stop confusing people please. Separate the physical from spiritual. This is a physical problem which needs to be dealt with in it’s form. In Zambia we don’t have much of spiritual problems. If I may ask ,can any one tell me any spiritual problem we have in Zambia? Corruption, stealing,hatred , tribalism,starvation, luck of employment are all physical problems . Let’s unite and not take God for granted. God has given us a free will and if we unite and willingly work together in love and hamorny we surly can over come these problems.
@ Kenny Kasonde Kolala, it is either you don’t understand the bible or you are reading a wrong version of the bible that is if you are a christian. God and Jesus have since the creation of mankind demonstrated the fulfillment of physical needs directly or through other people and it is written in the bible. Jesus and disciples realizing the physical need of followers had to feed five thousand men. Jesus mandated his followers to visit prisoners and the sick, feed the hungry etc. He also healed the sick and pointed out that if anyone did these gestures for the marginalized it was as good as doing these things to him. However, this does not mean we have to be idle and wait for manna.
Truly spiritual people don’t hate others, steal from them, beat them, engage in corruption, lie to them, put themselves above others etc. this is a spiritual problem; not physical. Physical problems are like disabilities, illnesses, etc
Sounds just like D.R.C, the church have different vote numbers, and Dora says Ba Edgar has different agenda from Siavonga.
P.F just held National Day of prayers and Fasting for Forgiveness & reconciliation 2 months ago.
Tomorrow there will be National prayers for Dialogue, by 3 genuine churches bodies.
There is Minister of Religious Affairs & Guidance, does she guide the 3 Church Mother bodies? Are they part of her religious?
This is serious!!!
Dialogue is headed for a rubble
You mean your PF will tear gas them as usual at Cathedral of Holly Cross?
Leave them do their thing, your PF continue do their thing too at their National House of Prayers they built.
There be dialogue between organisers. Lead by example.
Allowing people like Kambwili to take center stage at such crucial meetings dilutes the who morality. Kambwili is just there for show down with the head of state because he was fired and now its time to hit back
And this same character will scandalize upendi with tribal talk in the similar manner at the time hh will longer find use for him
Dont play politics in a church building. Go to heroes stadium.
Unip and mmd met at the same venue and we ended with Chiluba.
You only needed HH, ECL, UPND and PF for this dialogue.
Yes. And let them meet at a lodge in kabulonga and one pastor and a Secretary to take down minutes. Thats ALL
People like ck and sean ‘re just destructors
But the Church mother-bodies can do well to respond to what the Government Spokesperson has said – that the President has not received an invitation. If this is true, then this is so disrespectful.
What invitation?It is just cowardice and PF cant see that they lack leadership. The same way he has been failing to face the nation now he wants to find all manner of excuses to run away from meeting his peers, leadership failure if you ask me…
Zonzo – You must be a low life — you think the President can just show up to a meeting just because it is reported in social media that he will attend? Respect the Presidency – their are rules and guidelines to follow. You resort to a sweeping and careless statement is highly indicative of your low caliber.
Sonzo I don’t know what planet you belong to. ..a president though human is a protected person 24hrs. When an invitation is extended in good time, the people responsible for his security will inspect and seal of the venue. He’s not like you who just wakes up and go through your get without set goals. If a president is injured at such a venue many people innocent or culpable will be arrested etc. The country will be destabilized so much that you will wish this nonsense called dialogue was never mooted at all. It’s not a light matter.
They won’t because their master HH told them that everyone must be treated equally. It’s a non starter.
The fence can’t hold too many bulls in the pen. They don’t call it dialogue for nothing – when more than 2 parties get involved it stops being a dialogue and becomes a conference.
Hh wants to know what chavula was doing in s saver room
He wants to know why con court didn’t hear him
He want to know why his chopper was not allowed to land in shiwangandu and yet his a Zambian
He wants to know why he was thrown in chimbokaila
We wants to understand why there is perceived victimisation of certain tribes in government institutions
These are issues that make him a very sad man and ecl must answer frankly
These issues you dont ck and sean to attend. Its eyebrow to eyebrow meeting.
Am a non partisan political consultant
Dialogue is a national requirement everyone must be listened to.We need to reconcile as Zambians for the sake of generation to come.If you have children respect all Leaders and if you are between 30 and 70 year add 40 years you won’t be there.May be you will be very old and useless.
And he wants to know why sata couldnt campaign freely yet he is NOT given latitude
THIS DIALOGUE DOES NOT HAVE ANY LEGAL FRAMEWORK. IT IS NOT A CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT. SO EVERYONE AND ANYONE IS FREE TO ATTEND OR SHUN IT WITHOUT BREAKING ANY LAW. THERE IS NO AGENDA AND THAT IS A RECIPE FOR CHAOS. THE CHURCH AND ZCID MUST TELL THE NATION AND THE PARTIES WHAT THE ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED ARE. THE DIALOGUE IS HEADED FOR DOOM. IT WONT GO ANYWHERE.
THE PF HAS A VALID POINT WHEN THEY SEEK THAT CK MUST NOT ATTEND THIS DIALOGUE. EACH PARTY WILL SEND THEIR REPRESENTATIVE. MR CK IS A PF MEMBER LEGALLY. SO IS PF GOING TO BE REPRESENTED BY TWO MEMBERS? BOTH CK AND ECL? THE CONVENERS MUST PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON THIS MATTER.
SUPPOSE THE PF SAYS THAT ECL WILL NOT ATTEND THE DIALOGUE BECAUSE THE PF WILL BE REPRESENTED BY THEIR MEMBER CK, HOW WILL THE CHURCH OR ZCID RESPOND? CK…
-CONTINUED- CK CANNOT EAT WITH BOTH HANDS.
ZCID and ‘the Church’ sort out your mess!!!!!!! Some of us are confused and lost. We have tried to follow your relationship but……. .
Super delegate, whatever your name is ,you are confusing people in the name of Christianity and this is all because you never want to come to terms with the truth. Am a Christian and I believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God Almighty but the way you using his name is in vain. Surly even if you are a parent in a home. Can you surly be called upon by your children in everything that comes up at home. If they are grown ups and it’s lunch time they wait for you to ask if they can eat when you’ve provided everything they need. Surly are you going to mind them.
To start with the organizers have no respect for protocol. The president whether you like it or not cannot be invited through press releases. As of yesterday there was no official invitation extended to the president. Even if you don’t want to respect Lungu, at least respect the office. Churches as I have always said have been abused by the office bearers who think they have divine powers over other people. No it’s only Jesus Christ who can claim divinity. If we’re not careful we might find ourselves in worse trouble if we just blindly accept all the actions from these men of the cloth
The Catholics are openly trying to hijack the dialogue. They are supporting an illegality. ZCID the body mandated to oversee such matters has pulled out making the Catholic led circus an illegality because IT HAS NO LEGAL FRAMEWORK. This “dialogue” has no significance anymore as elections were in 2016 and we have moved on. There is no war or crisis for this dialogue. Electoral reforms or POA can be sorted by parliament not in church.
Cry my beloved Country.
Zambian Citizen – The Churches have resolved serious issue in this country may be before you were born without the so called legal frame work fimo fimo. After all even where there legal fimo fimo including the constitution the supreme law people have not followed it. The issue is of that of morality not legality.
Why do you call yourselves democrats but want to support illegalities??? It is ZCIDs mandate by law that is suppose to handle these political matters first. The Catholics are suppose to approach ZCID if they want involvement. All parties, upnd included, are part of ZCID. upnd chaired ZCID for 7 years, how is it comprised today?? Catholics are known more for fomenting anarchy than resolving issues as witnessed in Rwanda and now DRC.
Everything has its time. I was young but was part of the people who were there when the church solved the impasse between the MMD and Unip. Then we had an agenda unlike now when you have a rogue group called 3 mother bodies who are themselves not united. …why 3 bodies . Lastly Dr Kaunda was officially written to for the invitation to attend the meeting. …not where these pretenders want the president to attend the meeting through press invites. Please ba church respect the president just as the Bible has commanded you. Again what’s is the reason for 3 mother bodies? It’s selfishness. …how can a divided house hope to unite other people?
First it was Kambwili should not attend but Kambwili has withdrawn so what is the excuse? Commonwealth was also rejected as a foreign entity not solve internal issues and it is the church being snubbed now. What sense does it make for our president to call other countries like DRC to co exist when back home he is doing the opposite?.
Don’t compare apples to oranges. You may not like Edgar Lungu but by law there are channels to follow when inviting the president. And Lungu is the president and as such you don’t just announce in the Mast Newspaper that Mr Lungu must attend the meeting on dialogue. Ubufumu bucindiko mwine. Even HH who appears to have done something good to these Bishop would be accorded the respect as required by law if he were president.