ZAMBIA: Church Calls the Government to Spearhead Reconciliation in the Country.
Zambia Catholic Bishops
Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has urged the Government, to spearhead reconciliation in the nation that has seen exacerbated tension after the 2016 General Election.
In a wide range statement themed, IF YOU WANT PEACE, WORK FOR JUSTICE (Paul VI) “Let Justice flow, … down like a river that never dries …” (Amos 5:24) and signed by ZCCB President Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu, has charged that the continuous tension between the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) had affected the lives of many other citizens in the country who were now living in fear and were not going about their business of life freely.
“Let the politicians of both parties take it from us, since we always have our ears close to the ground that our country now stands on the edge. It is no use playing an ostrich game by burying our heads in the sand thinking that the storm will pass away. It will not, at least not before it has done great harm to this nation,” Archbishop Mpundu said.
Archbishop Mpundu reiterated that the chance of national healing and reconciliation was lost soon after the 2016 elections.
“Ideally, the period immediately after such a divisive election as was held in August 2016, our political leaders should have embarked upon a programme of national reconciliation, building and fostering dialogue by keeping old channels in good repair and creating new ones more suited to the new situation,” Archbishop Mpundu said. Archbishop has called for the two parties to genuine reconciliation with PF taking a lead.
“Only genuine and sincere dialogue aimed at national reconciliation is the long-term solution. This reconciliation must be firmly rooted in the Christian values of Truth, Forgiveness, Peace, Unity, Social Justice and Freedom. Let us learn to bury our immediate past and rise again to new life,” he added.
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops has also appealed to the Church and other Religious Leaders to be instruments of peace, reconciliation and unity.
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By Mwenya Mukuka
