Government says it is still consulting stakeholders on how best churches can regulate themselves .
Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Reverend Godfridah Sumaili says her ministry is also planning to hold a church indaba on the matter.
Rev. Sumaili says the indaba would provide a platform where all churches through church mother bodies will come together to chart the way forward on how they could self-regulate through guided legal framework.
“This will even broaden participation from all stake holders and churches, it is not our intention to regulate churches but they should regulate themselves in line with a legal framework that we will up with after wider consultations” Rev. Sumaili said.
ZANIS reports that the Minister was speaking during a meeting with government heads of departments under Lusaka District.
And Rev. Sumaili says churches will henceforth be required to get clearance from her Ministry before they can get a permit from the police for any event involving foreign clergymen or speakers.
She, however, says that all registered local churches would now be expected to obtain police for any function.
“We don’t want to have a repeat of what happened at OYDC where we lost eight lives when a named church wanted to distribute relief to the vulnerable “she said.
And responding to District Commissioner Captain Davison Mulenga’s concern on the mushrooming of churches in the country, the Minister says there is need for individuals intending to set up churches to register to the Registrar of societies as well as affiliate to church mother bodies.
She also disclosed that her Ministry is engaging the Ministry of Local Government to ensure that in its infrastructure planning, it should always reserve land for churches adding that there is no dignity in congregating in schools.
Ministry of Religious Affairs who earlier paid a courtesy call on Lusaka District Commissioner said her ministry will soon be decentralized to district level after the launch of its strategic plan scheduled before the end of this year.
What a useless ministry and waste of money. A ministry created for the purposes of employing lungus concubines as payment for services given in the bedroom. When upnd take over we will abolish these useless ministries
The Church is not regulated by the government.
The Catholic Church should never attend such useless things.
Our Church has everything in place. In fact, Roman Catholic Church is a true sign of proper government on earth.
No government can match itself with the Roman Catholic Church government in terms of “regulatory structure”.
However, Mpundu should be stopped from attending such meetings. Because of late, he sees to be making bad moves because he is getting old hence losing his mind.
He might want to go there. Please priests in the archdiocese of Lsk watch your Mpundu please. We don’t want to be embarrassed again.
There you have it once government starts controlling churches we are all in grave danger – since when must a church ask for a police permit for an event !
What the PF government should do is to listen to my advise. I keep telling you pipo that we should DO AWAY with religion for good as a developing country. Birds in the bush don’t PRAY to their Gods to bring food and water to their young but rather; they have to “fly out” very early every morning to go and hunt for food and water. Look at we Zambians (Africans), we will spend the whole week PRAYING and PRAYING for nothing and Nothing happens. We have to TOIL and TILL the land, we have to really work and hard if we have to put food on our tables and NOT PRAY for food to drop from the heavens! Religion has DESTROYED humankind. Just look at MUSLIMS today; they will slaughter hundreds like chickens and next; they are in the Mosque – shame….
Mayo twalimishiba impiya esho mwatemwa lyeni.