By ROGERS KALERO
CLERGYMEN should be courageous enough to point out evils being committed by politicians and other renowned members of their congregations despite how much offerings they contribute to the church, President Edgar Lungu has said
President Lungu said clergymen have a role to bring politicians and other members of the public to God and so they should not feel intimidated to advise those who give a lot of offering to the church.
The Head of State said this during a meeting with clergymen at Kitwe College of Education (KCE) in Kitwe yesterday.
He added that the church should also promote unity through the ‘One Zambia ‘One Nation’ motto in line with coined by First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda
He said he was surprised that, while the Patriotic Front (PF) was preaching peace, some other political parties were preaching violence, tribalism and hate-speech
“The church should not feel intimidated by anybody because they give out big amounts of offerings, but it should point out evils being committed by politicians and other renowned members of their congregations despite how much offerings they contribute to the church,” President Lungu said
President Lungu stressed that the church must scrutinise politicians who only claim to be Christians during election time in order to get the support.
President Lungu said, unlike some political leaders who only get closer to the church during election time, he had been a staunch Christian before he became republican President and he would continue being a Christian even after retiring in 2026
Meanwhile, President Lungu has urged marketeers at Chisokone, Nakadoli and Chimwemwe markets in Kitwe to ensure that they religiously follow the COVID 19 guidelines.
He said he would not like to close markets because of the COVID 19 pandemic, but stressed that traders and other payers in the informal sector to ensure that they wear face-masks, maintain social distance and sanitise
