By NATION REPORTER
THE governing UPND has branded the Archbishop of Lusaka, Dr Alick Banda and Chawama Catholic Priest Fr Anthony Salangeta Patriotic Front (PF) political agents who are campaigning for the return of the former ruling party to power.
But the PF has said UPND secretary general Batuke Imenda shall not be tolerated to venture into the dirty business of attacking the clergy and should therefore watch his lane before issuing reckless statements.
Stephen Kampyongo has castigated Mr Imenda and the UPND for abusing and demeaning Catholic Priests whose call was to serve the poorest of the poor by actualising the doctrine of social justice.
The ruling party has declared that it shall no longer recognise Archbishop Dr Banda and Fr Salangeta as Catholic Priests and shall therefore become political opponents of the UPND.
Mr Emenda says the ruling party is not surprised that Archbishop Dr Banda and Fr Salangeta had ganged up in their alleged scandalizing of President Hakainde Hichilema because according to him, the two Prelates were bitter over the loss of the PF in the 2021 general elections.
Mr Imenda has accused Bishop Dr Banda, the Archdiocese of Lusaka as a well-known PF political conman who according to him was hiding in the pulpit to preach the former ruling party ideologies.
In his strong-worded statement, Mr Imenda without ecclesiastical care claimed the Archbishop of Lusaka Diocese was but Lucifer of Zambia promoting allegedly promoting what he claimed was PF gassing, bloodshed and divisiveness.
“Mr Banda (Archbishop Dr Banda) is the Lucifer of Zambia who wants to take advantage of citizens by promoting the PF who gassed citizens, promoted bloodshed, divided the country, subjected citizens to terrorism, stole public funds, and closed media houses, among other evils. When such evil acts were taking place, the two so called “men of God” remained mute. What hypocrisy!” Mr Imenda said.
He stated that while the UPND appreciated positive criticism in its quest to deliver a better Zambia for all, the ruling party had decided that going forward, it shall consider Archbishop Dr Banda and Fr Salangeta political opponents of the ruling party and not as Catholic Priests.
Mr Imenda stated that the UPND was aware that the Catholic Church normally communicated its messages through pastoral letters through the Church Mother Bodies that included the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) and not through individual Priests.
He has since challenged Archbishop Dr Banda and Fr Salangeta to public debate on the areas which the two Clerics believed the UPND government had not been sincere.
“I am aware that they (Archbishop Dr Banda, Fr Salangeta) are at pain to see President Hichilema outliving their expectations in delivering free education, Constituency Development Fund (CDF), over 30,000 recruited teachers, recruiting over 11,000 health workers in less than a year. The training of youths in artisanal programmes like Carpentry, metal fabrication, general agricultural programmes, reopening of Indeni refinery and re-employment of over 1500 employees are but the some of the successes of the UPND and President Hichilema,” Mr Imenda said.
He said President Hichilema had managed to unite to unite the country apart from ending load shedding, reaching a staff level meeting on resolving what he apportioned as the PF caused debt crisis and the establishment of a fertilizer manufacturing plant which shall be producing when 700,000 MT of Compound D and 300,000 MT of Urea respectively on an annually at full capacity.
“Mr Banda (Archbishop Dr Banda) and Mr Salangeta (Fr Salangeta), I want to advise you that turning the pulpit into a political podium by way of not preaching the Holy Word is a devil scheme and a satanic philosophical tactic. To the Catholic Congregants, be mindful of the two messengers of Satan busy Propagating politics in the name of the church.”
“Moving forward, UPND will consider the two as political opponents not as priests and we will call a spade a spade,” Mr Imenda said.
