ZAMBIA: Catholic Bishops Ready to Take Lead in The Dialogue Process.
Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) Secretary General Rev. Fr. Cleophas Lungu has affirmed that the Catholic Bishops are more than ready to be part of the leading team in the dialogue process. This follows an appeal by the President of the Republic of Zambia H.E. Edgar Lungu for necessary space for the church to join the leadership of the dialogue process.
Fr. Lungu told a local TV station in Lusaka that the church has always been ready to collaborate with any stakeholder not only in the dialogue process, but also in facilitating reconciliation.
He further said that the church is prepared to engage all political parties in the country in the dialogue process and be able to provide spiritual guidance to the nation adding that the Catholic Church is also more than ready to collaborate with any international organization such as the Commonwealth in the dialogue process.
Zambia is in the process of planning a national political dialogue meeting aimed at ironing out political tension in the country after the 2016 presidential and general election. Commonwealth tasked Nigerian born Professor Ibrahim Gambari to initiate the dialogue process between the ruling party, the opposition and civil society organizations.
Meanwhile Caritas Zambia has urged all stakeholders in the planned national political dialogue to ensure the process is rooted on Christian virtues such as justice and peace.
In a statement Caritas Zambia Executive Director Eugene Kabilika said that the dialogue process should be sincere and all-inclusive.
“This reconciliation itself must be firmly rooted on Christian values of truth, mercy, justice and peace,” Mr Kabilika said.
He further called on all well-meaning Zambians to participate in actions that will help to bring Zambia back to the correct trajectory, where human rights are truly respected, transparency and accountability is cherished, poor people especially small-scale farmers are protected from displacements, the integrity of creation is respected and all people in Zambia are treated equally.
“Only genuine, sincere and inclusive dialogue aimed at national reconciliation is the long-term solution. This reconciliation itself must be firmly rooted in the Christian values of Truth, Mercy, Justice and Peace,” he said.
He reiterated that the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) stand ready to collaborate with all key stakeholders in Zambia and lead it into a genuine process of dialogue and reconciliation anchored on truth and Justice.
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By Mwenya Mukuka, ZCCB Communications Officer
