Tue, 27 Jun 2017 14:11:19 +0000
By VIOLET TEMBO
THE church is giving us conflicting statements and sending wrong signals to us politicians on whether what we are doing is right or wrong and it has become increasingly difficult for us to know who is telling us the truth, President Edgar Lungu has observed.
And President Lungu has expressed satisfaction over the meeting he had with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in which he learnt a lot on how the church caused confusion in Rwanda and that there was need for Zambians to avert such an unfortunate situation from happening.
Speaking at the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) Twapia church during the induction service for Reverend Winstone Simwinga, President Lungu said latest differing viewpoints from members of the clergy showed that there was disunity in the church, a development he said had a telling effect on the governance of the country.
President Lungu said he was a mortal man who made mistakes and in dire need of prayers for guidance but that the church had become unpredictable, making it difficult for him to get correct counsel as the body of Christ was no longer speaking with one voice.
“What am seeing currently is that the church of Christ, the body of Christ, is disunited. They are sending different signals to the politicians such that we don’t know who is telling us what. One minute they are telling us namuluba (you are lost) while others are telling us ‘mulifye bwino’ (you are alright). How are we going to provide leadership when we are subjected to conflicting statements from the body of Christ? “It is not only about the UCZ and the Catholic Church but everyone. Please give us the right signals and the way to go. If the Catholic Church says we are wrong while this other church says something else, we will get lost because as politicians, we belong to the church even if others are UCZ, Catholics or Pentecostal,” President Lungu said.
And President Lungu has expressed satisfaction over the meeting he had with President Museveni in which he says he learnt a lot on how the church caused confusion in Rwanda and that there was need for Zambians to avert such an unfortunate situation from happening.
“I was pleased to meet President Museveni the other day who told me a story of what the church did in Rwanda. Those that don’t know what happened in Rwanda, that country was destroyed by the church statements. The church was divided and that is what happened in Rwanda. So the Church must pray for us.
“If we sin, forgive us. I want to ask you to pray for us because we also get lost. We are mortal human beings. As mortal beings we go astray and when we go astray pray for us. I am asking the church to unite,” he said.
