When Vice President Mutale Nalumango officiated at the ordination of a Bishop in Southern province the other week, she challenged the Church to stop ‘pressurising’ the politicians for donations as it often leads them into temptations to steal from the State.
This observation couldn’t have come at a better time as this one when the Clergy has literally gone to bed with the opposition! Every Sunday, they accord pulpits to the opposition which they use to greater effect as platforms to spew hatred and unleash a gush of vitriol and scathing attacks on the government. Of course, they’ve no qualms turning the Church into ‘safe’ political battlefields as long as they are ‘blessed’ with silver and gold at the end of day without much bothering to interrogate the source of such benevolence.
One is left with no choice but to conclude that the Church in our country has either become absolutely compromised or outrighly corrupt!
But how on earth did we end up here in the first place, one may wonder.
Money is the source of all evil, the scriptures always remind us. Alas, evil was allowed to enter and penetrate the Church way back in the early 2000s immediately the clergy succumbed to the temptation of entertaining the “brown envelopes” from President Frederick Chiluba and his cronies which they used as a ploy to ‘blindfold’ the Church on the shortcomings of government, particularly the third term debacle! The Church has never been the same since then, we shudder at the thought.
For those who were either not yet born or perhaps were still in their diapers at the time, when Chiluba’s second term in office was fast coming to an end, he attempted to circumvent the constitution to give him a leeway to run for a third term in office. Thanks to the combined efforts of Civil society, the Law Association of Zambia and the three Church mother bodies, Chiluba’s mission couldn’t see the light of the day!
His successor, Levy Mwanawasa would immediately apply emergency brakes on this corrupt activity earning himself labels from the Church and individuals such as, “wakaso uyu!” Like seriously? Why should the Church wilfully partake in dirty or blood money?
But lo and behold, Mwanawasa couldn’t see through his second term in office. He would be recalled to be with his Creator while on national duty, abroad. Not surprisingly, when his vice president Rupiah Banda finally stepped into his shoes, he’d immediately revive the culture of brown envelopes – handing-out enormous cash donations to the clergy and the Church in general!
Our fifth Republican president, the no nonsense man with a razor tongue, Micheal Sata aka King Cobra didn’t have time for brown envelopes! During his tenure, the Church would maintain its lane for obvious. Unfortunately, the King Cobra couldn’t last long in office…..he would succumb to the cold hand of death barely half-way through his term; to be replaced by a completely surprise fellow, not known to harbour any Presidential ambitious, in the name of Edgar Lungu!
Like Chiluba, Lungu would see a golden opportunity in the brown envelopes, and increase the amount fivefold! He would actually take a step further and lure some priests from Churches hitherto anathema to brown envelopes, such as the Catholic church and the United Church of Zambia!
As the nation was reeling from suffocation due to gassing and leaders went into overdrive plundering our resources through overpricing of infrastructure projects or kickbacks; kept the lucrative mukula business to themselves and divided the nation by restricting government jobs to one particular region, while cadres went on rampage taking over the markets and bus stations; hurling expletives and profanities, or at times go to the extremes gorging-out eyes, knocking-off teeth and hacking off the limbs of their perceived opponents; the Church conveniently kept quiet and looked the other side!
That’s what money can do…..it can make the entire Church forget about the weak and choose to side with the powerful in Society, instead.
Since we like taking examples from outside, imagine the Anglican Church in South Africa siding with the decades long pro-apartheid regime which was heavily supported by the Dutch Reformed Church or indeed the Catholic church endorsing the autocratic regime of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe; would one still insist the Church is standing on firm grounds?
Unless the Church immediately distances itself from conniving with the politicians as already alluded to above, we shall be left with little or no option but to conclude the Church has become outrighly compromised……nay absolutely corrupt. Aikona man!
Prince Bill M Kaping’a
Polical/Social Analyst
It is the LOVE of Money that is the source of all evil. Ba writer, do your homework well
What a silly headline! Certainly not for newsmedia.
What’s the meaning of that jumbled marsh of wording: “Has the Church in Zambia been absolutely compromised…….or perhaps outrighly corrupted?”
Some churches in Zambia are absolutely compromised, corrupt and ev1l. This article is absolutely correct.
Many of them are no longer places of worship but have been turned into political arena’s to spew hatred and slander.
They are selling themselves for the euphemistic “the 30 pieces of silver”, Judas would be proud of them
Church’s need to be neutral places where we can all go and seek forgiveness, helling, guidance as well as mediation. Now they have become “breweries” of division, hatred, lies, dishonesty… The likes of Dr Danny Pule, should be working tirelessly to ensure that there’s “hygiene” in church and politics, but are in the forefront of promoting hatred. He couldn’t even pray for the blessing and safty of that rally in Kitwe. But was busy talking about bringing back Ministry of Religious Affairs for what?
Yesterday, at a Kitwe rallyl,I head Edgar Lungu saying he was ready to be president assisted by group of educated but poverty-stricken one-member party presidents of UKA.Dunderhead Nakachinda,Bowman,Lubinda et el.Beware,Lungu is now ready to dump you.He is now in self-preservation mode.He has already chosen his cabinet who will help him retrieve his confiscated loot while letting the UKA cabinet members loot their own share.
Then I heard another mad man informing unemployed youths that he is recruiting youths for the Zambia National Service come 2026.He want to start recruiting members of the defense force in full view of the Commander of the Defense force.He has also opened doors to scammers to steal from desperate youths. Silly man
Did Lungu share any cash or properties with the suffering people of Kwacha? By the wa did he explain what Zim convicted fraudster and controversial businessman Wicknell Chivhayo was doing when he visited him at State House in June 2019? Was it about election tenders, because the chickens have seriously come to roast for his friend Mnangagwa.
Watch on YouTube; ZACC HACKED, BY ANGRY EMPLOYEE, CHIVHAYO, CHIGUMBA SECRETS LEAKED
Mamama!
Watch on YouTube; ZACC TWITTER ACCOUNT TAKEN OVER BY “SENIOR EMPLOYEE” WHO’S SPILLING BEAN…
I didn’t even bother to read the article. My question is why didn’t Mr Kaping’a complain when archbishop Tresfor Mpundu fought the PF with the then opposition Upnd? The Catholic church has not been a flatterer, they tell the truth no matter how ugly that truth is.
Sitting goverments don’t like the Catholic Church and have tried to silence them. Recently a letter was fabricated by purported priest’s association…. and out of ignorance the letter put emphasis on the transfer of one priest of Southern Province origins just to show that Archbishop Banda was tribal…. out of ignorance because at ordination a priest vows to obey the bishop and vows to accept transfer to any place at any time.
Because the church speaks for the suffering masses. Leadership rarely solves the poor’s problems. It solves the problems of the wealthy or those who are within reach of wealth
The church are only speaking for the poor people. The people that have no electricity, no enough food, people that are buying expensive fuel and whose businesses are closing. Equally the opposing are being denied permits to hold rallies, they are finding it easier to go Churches were the police will not follow but look at what happened on the copperbelt. There is nothing wrong with Churches receiving money. Churches have survived on offering, tithe and donations not since the 2000s have conveniently put it, but since time in memorial even before they came to Africa. Kapinga should just go back to his sponsor at tell him that people are hungry and angry. Propaganda will not help the suffering people.
Indeed it is the LOVE of money that is said to be the root of evil … anyway, that is besides the point. What successive administrations have not learned is the individuality of the Zambian electorate. If you bribe an institution like a church it has not much effect. What needs to be done is just GOVERN the country to the extent that the citizens SEE those promises you made come to fruition. Remember, the Zambian voter now knows how to vote parties out of power. You have been warned.