ZAMBIA: The Catholic Church Respects and Values Women, Says Bishop Kasonde

Mwenya Mukuka

Solwezi Diocese Catholic Bishop Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde says the Church values the role women play in people’s life.

The Solwezi Diocese Prelate who is also Chairman of the Association Member Episcopal Conference of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) said this when he celebrated mass for International Women’s Day observed on Monday 8th March at St. Daniel’s Cathedral Parish.

He added that women have deeper knowledge on who human beings are.

Meanwhile Bishop Kasonde has cautioned political parties not to appoint women in higher political positions just for fashion but rather that such appointments should be genuine.

” We do not want this to be a fashion or an escape route because you know a mother [woman] is full of trust and cannot cause any danger,” he said in reference to the tendency of some politicians to appoint a woman as their running-mate because they will not talk or out of fear of appointing a man who may be critical to them.

“Let it be not that way, let us go for quality,” said Bishop Kasonde.

As the country approaches general elections, Zambia’s largest opposition political party has appointed a woman as its Vice President while the country has a woman Vice President.

And referring to the Vice President of the United States of America, Bishop Kasonde further noted that the world has now realized that women are very important.

Meanwhile speaking, Catholic Women’s League National Chairperson Ms Irene Mileji called upon all women to stand up and fight early marriages.

She said the battle against gender inequalities in society cannot be won if women do not rise up and stop early marriages.

Furthermore, “You are charging high bridal prices for your girl child as a business. Stop that and look at love. That is not fair,” she added.

Mileji said parents should look at the love their child is going to enjoy in marriage and not money and further encouraged women to take their children to school instead of marrying them off too early.

This year’s International Women’s Day was celebrated under the theme: “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in covid-19 world”.