ICZ backs Lungu boycott of prayers
BY ADRIAN MWANZA
THE Independent Churches of Zambia (ICZ) has rebuffed the Ecumenical thanksgiving service prayers for peaceful elections organised by three church bodies calling them divisive.
ICZ president David Masupa in an interview said that he supported the stance by the former head of State Edgar Lungu who decided not to be part of the prayers slated for today because they smacked of division which had no place in church circles.
Bishop Masupa said the stance taken by former president Lungu was justifiable because the country experienced spates of violence in most areas of the country during elections.
“I support the former head of state and his concerns are genuine looking at what transpired during the elections peace did not prevail at all,’’ he said.
Bishop Masupa said the three church mother bodies Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) were trying to dominate the process.
He said it was unfortunate that the three church mother bodies were not looking at other church mother bodies in the country and only considered themselves even when the country had more than seven.
Bishop Masupa said that he was shocked that the other churches had been left out of the programme which indicated that they wanted to be seen as the dominant ones.
“I’m shocked by the conduct of the three Church mother bodies that have totally sidelined us the other church mother bodies,’’ he said. He said he was shocked that the ICZ was in the past accused of not working with the three church mother bodies when they were included in all their engagements.
