MALAWI: Catholic Bishops Condemn Attack on Pope Francis by Politicians
The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has strongly condemned the attack on the person of the Holy Father Pope Francis by a section of Malawian politicians terming it “the attack on the whole Church that is, One Holy Catholic and Apostolic.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, 13th September 2018 by the Conference and shared with AMECEA Online News, the Bishops called upon political leaders, both in the government and opposition to desist from dragging the name of the Holy Father into petty party politics.
According to Malawian media, a member of the ruling political party in the country, while at a rally in Blantyre on Sunday 9th September, said that the current 79-Year Old President of Malawi will only resign after Pope Francis, 81, steps down because the Malawi leader is younger.
The Bishops’ Statement additionally denounced the recent attacks on the Catholic Church and the victimization of her members for cheap political gain saying that as Catholic Bishops, they are ever aware of their duty to foster unity and charity among individuals and have always collaborated with all religious mother bodies in the country in pursuit of inter-faith dialogue, promotion of the common good and rule of law, respect for human rights as well as human dignity.
While indicating that any form of religious intolerance and provocative sentiments should not be condoned, the Bishops called for mutual respect and understanding, tolerance and peaceful co-existence among people of different religions in the country for the benefit of all.
They reiterated their June2018 Statement saying that while the Church encourages Catholics to take an active role in politics, the Catholic Bishops cannot and shall not support or endorse any particular politician or political party. They once again urged all eligible Malawians to register and vote in the forthcoming general elections scheduled for May 2019.
Additionally, the Bishops called upon all Malawians to refrain from spreading fake news through social media with the aim of provoking others and damaging the good reputation of those with different political views.
∽End∽
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
