By Prince Bill M Kaping’a Political/Social Analyst
On March 20, 2017, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which over 800, 000 ethinic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered like pigs!
The sins and failings of the church and its members had disfigured the face of Catholicism, the influential The Guardian Newspaper quotes him as saying.
In the same article, it is estimated that 5,000 people were killed at the Ntarama Catholic church on 15 August 1994: the site is now one of six major memorials in Rwanda. One priest, Father Athanase Seromba, ordered his church to be bulldozed with 2,000 Tutsis sheltering inside. Another, Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, helped draw up lists of people to be killed and raped young women, according to charges issued by the UN’s international criminal tribunal for Rwanda in 2005.
The article further goes on to articulate that the Catholic church was compromised by its longstanding political ties to the ruling Hutu elite. Archbishop Vincent Nsengiyumva sat on the ruling party’s central committee for nearly 15 years even as it implemented policies that discriminated against Tutsis.
Why are we saying all this?
Lately, Bishop Alick Banda and Fr. Salangeta have been vociferous in bashing or aiming barbs at President Hichilema. Listening to the two speak, one would think that this country is grappling with a crisis worse than the nightmare we had to endure from PF for some 7 donkey years!
Why is it that they seem to be so worked out against Hichilema? Is it because he has departed from the “culture of brown envelopes” as was the case with the previous administration? Is it that he is not trying much to address the challenges of our people? What are those shortcomings that we deserve to learn about? What is motivating these attacks on the president? Is it because of his ethnicity?
House of Chiefs Chairman Dr. Chief Chisunka says it is regretable to witness politically motivated statements coming from certain religious leaders, especially when such messages lead to divisions among the people. He further observes that this poses a significant threat to our nation. The Chief could not have put it more succinctly than this! The manner in which the two priests are conducting themselves is stoking tribal sentiments in the nation.
Just in case this article is misconstrued, may we hasten to clarify that we are not in any way referring to the Catholic church in its entirety but we are rather singling out 2 specific individuals!
Just as some priests were complicity in the genocide in Rwanda, some priests in this country conviniently chose to keep quiet and looked the other side as citizens were being gassed; citizens were being brutalised in markets and bus stations; capital projects were being delivered at inflated prices; cabinet positions were being allocated to specific tribes and certain regions were being denied of meaningful development.
Why didn’t the duo voice out reservations then as much as they are doing today?
Only an infant or a dimwit would fail to appreciate that the relationship between President Lungu and the said priests was like that of “a simcard and a handset!” The two can’t do without each other. Obviously, whatever array of fringe benefits that could’ve with such associations have since been taken away. It’s therefore possible that frustrations are eating up the duo since they are just human beings like the rest of us, hence the tantrums!
As many would attest, Alick Banda was a frequent visitor at State House during the previous regime, he undoubtedly enjoyed a cordial relationship with President Lungu. His support for Lungu was so unwavering that he had to cross swords with the indefatigable Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu (retired) for siding with the masses and standing up to the PF brutal regime!
Is it not Banda that vehemently refused to sign a Pastoral letter condemning the PF diabolical activities before the elections in 2021? Wasn’t Lungu invited by Banda, as the then Ndola Diocese Bishop, to officiate at the carpark fundraising walk? Lungu actually made a substantial donation himself. The Bishop obviously had no qualms about the source of that donation as long as it suited him!
As for that Fr. Salangeta, we are equally not surprised for the path he has taken……..he belongs to the same WhatsApp group as Banda! Apart from enjoying the privilege of attending state functions, he famously went to “bless” the office of newly elected Chawama Member of Parliament, Tasila Lungu, a daughter of the former president. Consider the recent video which has gone viral on social media whereby he is mocking the president for presenting graphs and talking about the millennium development goals at his last press conference. How can a priest habour such kind of ill feelings against someone?
Honestly, do we expect compromised individuals such as Banda and Salangeta to be impartial in their audit of the performance of the current government? Do you expect a fair assessment? Can they even spare a bit of time to discuss what has landed us in such a mess? How do you expect miracles from a government that has barely been in office for less than 3 years?
We expect Catholic priests who are seemingly neutral to be offering credible checks and balances to the current administration as opposed to individuals such as Banda and Salangeta!
Foolish ***** when they sided with HH whilst in opposition the Catholics were not compromised?when are you getting your job from HH?
Same here. This fake prince has no shame. Last week he featured a fictional story about Napsa Partial withdraws. Everything he said was from what he’d been hearing and not what he experienced.
Those two PF cadre priests have NEVER sided with HH iwe kapala. Not even once.
Let this matter get out of the headlines so that we move on to more serious issues.
Religion can be very dangerous weapon and has caused the deaths of millions through the centuries…………
Especially dangerous is a combination of………
Religion , Ignorance , corruption, freedom of expression , greed and bitterness………..
That is a recipe for disaster.
You can use a knife to cut food in pieces so that it gets cooked nicely or get swallowed easily. You can also use a knife to kill another human being. The problem is not the knife but the human mind. You can use political power to serve, empower people and do good for nation. You can also use politics to destroy, bankrupt a nation and kill people . The problem is NOT politics but the human mind.
Therefore, the problem is not religion but the human mind and in this case a lot of ignorance we see in Zambia. And ignorance is one of the deadliest killer in the world.
This article is absolutely correct.
These priest are divisive and are a hinderance to progress and harmony in Zambia.
Sangaleta issue just arose from the Presidents misplaced press conference. Everyone including the journalists and the most Zambians at large were not impressed by that press conference. Zambians expected more regarding addressing the cost of living and solutions on mining. Sangaleta actually spoke for many regarding that press conference (including the journalists who attended). That girl journalist used the word rhetoric. The president would have done better.
The Muvi journalist at the press conference told the president that most of his promises and pronouncements have been rhetolic. The president tried to hide his anger against that journalist. Bit was evident that he was not impressed. Sangaleta just added to what that journalist said. Them the mayor of Kitwe was equally not impressed. Lets not hide our heads in the sand. The situation on the ground in BAAAD!!!! We would do well to listen.
Ofcourse things would be bad from the state lungu left the country………
There is no magic wand. Sacrifice and perseverance will win the day.
The days of living on borrowed eurobonds and Chinese loans are over and Zambians need to expect tough times before the good times
Many in upnd do not agree with HHs approach. They say hh doesn’t listen to advice and is arrogant and ignorant about political ethics. He thinks he is running his goat farm. We told you not to entrust someone who has never held s single public office.
Meanwhile the upnd thugs are fighting each other. The childish old fat azz vlogger Simon mwewa was beaten by his fellow cadres and now we hear his wlfe is sleeping with Frank mutubila
1. HH is doing brown envelops at corporate level the so called White Collar Corruption. Its corruption that is stopping HH to move a needle on the mining issue. UPND has aligned pastors or priest who will continue to keep quite even they see this government doing wrong. There has been frequent visits to State House & Community House by Seventh Day Church elders. Should we condemn that, or just say HH is getting counseling from these church leaders? So how it was wrong for Lungu to welcome priests at State House. The author of this article is talking trash and embarrassing himself. It’s very sad !
2. The majority of bishops / priests do exercise their right to cast the ballot and vote.. And by doing that, they will vote for one candidate against the other. By the way there is nothing wrong with a priest supporting HH or ECL. The majority of Seventh Day congregation voted for HH. And that’s fine. The catholic church does not stop a priest from addressing national matters. People should stop thinking a priest has no right to speak out. It’s very ridiculous. If there is one person who has spoken against politicians on the global scale is the current Pope. I am not catholic and that’s the fact. The catholic has always used its power to speak for the poor. UPND, get used to it.
Can’t read this moron’s articles
Inclined to agree with Prince this time around. Those two don’t have the moral authority to criticise the UPND. Telesphoreb Mpundu does. He bashed the PF then and now continues to do so whilst archbishop Banda was partying with Lungu.
The author should have also criticised UPND’s response of calling the priest as Lucifer. Kaoma has to try to be neutral as opposed to being very one sided. I read this article because I agreed with the title, ordinarily I now skip his articles. It is still evident that Prince is still bent on bashing PF and paying a blind eye to the misgivings of the UPND.
My word. Moderation again.
Zambian society needs to secularised……..
Move away from this fundamentalists Christian nation crap and instead preach hard work , patronisim and honesty……….
Black people are especially prone to the notion that God will provide for them and develop the country for them if they pray hard enough……….and will gladly relegate hard work as a none essential……….
What else can one expect from this fake Prince!
Who were Annas and Caiaphas in the Bible? And off Judas Iscariot was with Jesus. The modern Iscariot has been with Government.
Of course this Kaping’a man is a badly stitched Frankestein, but let him speak his mind!
Well written article. These two Catholic are wrong preachers who joined the catholic priesthood to earn a livelihood. How on earth would a church leader support a party like PF. The party responsible for all the evils you can think of…….killing people, ethnic divisions, stealing public resources, corruption, borrowing excessively—– $30 billion debt. Yet, could not even build a single highway out of this debt.
There is one video of the catholic priest dancing to circular music with ECL. Clearly a party cadre.