Government says it is ready to work with the church in order to foster unity, peace and harmony if the country is to see development.
Government says its commitment can be seen from its engagement with the Catholic Church in order to continue augmenting existing partnerships between the Church and the State.
Addressing a joint ministerial press briefing at the ministry of Information and media in Lusaka, comprising four ministers, Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati disclosed that a delegation of Cabinet Ministers and other senior government officials paid a courtesy call on the President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Ignacious Chama.
Mr Mutati explained that the purpose of the visit was to address significant national issues, including the relationship between the state and the church.
He said the Ministers also sought to cement peace with the Catholic Church and to clarify that the government is not in competition with the church.
Mr Mutati disclosed that the delegation was led by Infrastructure and Urban Development Minister Charles Milupi, and included himself, as well as Community Development Minister Doreen Mwamba, Minister of Local Government Garry Nkombo, Health Minister Silvia Masebo and Special Assistant to the President for Political Affairs Levy Ngoma.
Mr Mutati said the government delegation reassured the President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops that the government is not in conflict with the church and is instead seeking guidance from the church on social, political, and economic matters of national interest.
During the press briefing, the Ministers also addressed rumors about President Hakainde Hichilema and senior government officials galvanizing against the church, describing them as false.
Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development Charles Milupi said that invading private conversations is unacceptable, as the intentions behind such actions are often ill-intentioned.
He said despite sufficient laws in place, dealing with cybercrime and hacking requires specialized personnel, making the issue more complicated to tackle.
And Mr Mutati reiterated that the issue of cyber security and protection of data is also being taken seriously.
He said there is no place to hide for those engaging in criminal activities including forging letters to create division within the country.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Garry Nkombo said Archbishop Chama made it clear that it is the duty of the church to speak for the voiceless.
Mr Nkombo said Archbishop Chama assured government during the visit that the church desires the UPND administration to succeed for the benefit of the majority that ushered them into power.
The Minister said government is thoroughly investigating the matter.
Mr Nkombo said government is committed to promoting positive use of social media, and ensuring the protection of citizens’ privacy.
He said cyber security is a critical issue at hand and that government is taking the necessary steps to combat cybercrime and protect data.
The minister said the law enforcement wing will deal with the issues at hand in the most professional and advanced manner.
“We cannot tolerate those who engage in criminal activity, and we are working towards promoting peace and unity within our country,” said Mr Nkombo.
Minister of Health Silvia Masebo said government will endeavor to work with the church and that government is not in competition with the church.
The Minister has called upon the church to help government unite the country.
Ms Masebo urged members of the public to desisist from abusing the media to promote hate speech and division.
Mutati alemela mu govt. Tax payers money is what made you successful. Stop being a cadre and just enjoy in silence.
Due to the poor governance and failures affecting our country caused by the inc0mpetent upnd g0vt, I have decided to pr0test. From last week, I am taking part in a self imp0sed semen retenti0n protest for a m0nth. This means I will in no way ejacuIate for a month in protest. I urge those who love our country to j0in in and support this pr0test. To th0se who continue to supp0rt the upnd, I ask you to mention one c0mm0dity that has gone down in price since upnd took over. Failing which you close your dirty m0uth.To those who supp0rt my pr0test and PF, I ask that you d0wnv0te this comment. If you don’t supp0rt my pr0test then please upv0te this comment
The church has always been good and for unity and progress but the problem has been with some individual clergymen with hidden political agenda as it was observed with father bwalya, Salangeta, and slick Banda. Please ba clergymen don’t confuse the sheep, and all citizens. Help the government deligently. And ba clergymen please when you misfire and condemned as an individual don’t hide in the name of the church. Bear the disapproval alone
The church or church is not a building but people who attend that church who come from all communities starting from the rich up to the poorest citizens.
What people say about the nation is what affects the people in church , however the rich who enjoy the the benefits of being in government don’t see anything wrong therefore they like to calm down the poor because they are not affected by the poverty that is eating up the poor people in compounds. the clergy is part of the church in fact they are the shepards of members of any given church, if you touch the shepards the flock will be on you as the flock depends on the shepard for direction .
Mutati cannot speak for the poor because the biting effects of poverty is non of his concerns but counting money in his bank account
We warned you not to exchange words with Pastors now you are all out licking up your own vomit…Mutati is just a journey man who enjoys govt positions with the highest bidder the man has sat in every cabinet since 1991.
All successful countries world wide keep church and State separately , big mistake to get churches involved in govt business.
The Catholic Church has never disowned anyone from among their ranks, so the scheme to isolate Archbishop Banda and some Fathers won’t work. The Catholic Church stood by Fr Umberto when the MMD launched a scathing attack on him to the extent of wanting to deport him when he told FTJ that he was a thief. The damage has already been done, the UPND have called some Fathers as Lucifer and that statement has been endorsed by their leader. These firefighting antics won’t work, especially from minions like you.
Stop pandering to these religious nuts……….
Religion can never feed anyone nor develop the country……….
Keep them at arms length………..
Make zambia a secular country guided by the rule of law, not religion…….
The church position in Zambian politics should be lessened.
They now feel they can comments and criticize on subjects they know nothing about, in those situations they should be told to SHUT UP !!!
These are overstepping the mark and they believe everything they say should be listened too. It should not be.
They criticism levelled by the priest about graphs and chart showed how ignorant and illiterate he is as a person.
The church should NOT be seen as the guides to government, but just as guides and leaders of their congregations and members, there is enough BAD things happening especially in the catholic church that they should be dealing with.
Zambia needs high IQ citizens to develop and not engagement with the church.
Just tell Imenda and HH to apologise. Emulate your Southern province minister who takes upon himself to apologise when he realises he is wrong
It is Imenda and the graph man that needs to apologize. They are the ones that called us Catholics Lucifer. For your own information Catholics form the largest Church in the country and we are a unity. You insult one, you have insulted all of us. What we are saying as Catholics is HH was showing people graphs that were not reflecting in their lives. The cost of living is at its highest, KCM/Mopani issues are not on the graph and there is no clear policy on agriculture.
Missionaries have played a significant role in the life of Zambia from way back before we even had any formal civilization. The earliest schools and hospitals were founded by missionaries. How can one question their authority? Mr Mutati worked for missionaries to bring up and educate his children. They’ve helped many and have played a major role in shaping up the current Zambia. They’ll continue to do so long after HH and his party have left office and forgotten. The Church will outlive all of us here. It’s up to you to recognize that or not
kkkkkk stop putting salt on the wound and this is an open wound for that matter.Go and apologize to the Bishops mmmmmm playing with the Jesuits mmmm yaba what a blunder kkkkkk