Stop using Church, Mpundu told

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 10:18:37 +0000

By ANNIE ZULU

ARCHBISHOP Teresphore Mpundu should stop using the Church to achieve his political ambitions, Zambia Republican Party (ZRP) president has said.

And Mr Musoma has charged that it is unfair for Archbishop Mpundu to call the police unprofessional for doing their job.

The archbishop has accused the Zambia Police Service of being unprofessional in the way they arrested UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema. He also alleged that the police was being used by Government to intimidate perceived ruling party opponents.

He charged that the police had the mandate to maintain law and order as well as arrest anyone who committed a crime irrespective of who they were.

“It is unfair and not right for someone, especially a bishop, to call the police unprofessional just because they are arresting people who are breaking the law. The police have a mandate to maintain law and order and they have the right to arrest those who commit crime.  “Democracy does not mean that people should be tolerated even when they commit crime.  “Where was the archbishop when Hichilema was committing crime? Hichilema has been committing a lot of crimes yet the same bishop has been quiet, now that things have turned sour for Hichilema that is when he wants to voice out and support him. All this goes to show that the bishop has been biased,” he said.

Mr Musoma urged Archbishop Mpundu to come out in the open and declare his political interests rather than hiding in name of the Church. He said it was clear that the bishop had interests in politics from the way he spoke and sided with the opposition.

Mr Musoma noted that Archbishop Mpundu had always despised everything that the Government of President Edgar Lungu did, but always defended the opposition UPND even when they were wrong.

“Archbishop Mpundu should stop his cheap manoeuvres and stop using the Church because we know that he is the mouthpiece of Hichilema.  We also know that his actions are not the reflection of the Catholic Church at large.

“The Catholic Church is a representative of different political parties, just by taking the stance that he is taking for selfish motives is putting the Church in an awkward position.

“He has a right to support anyone but not to fabricated  stories that Government has turned the country into a dictatorship, because he can’t achieve what he wants.  So the best he can do to maintain his respect and respect the Catholic Church is for him not to use the church,” Mr Musoma said.