UPND reacts to remarks by catholic priest, Salangeta, who called out President Hichilema, other politicians

The ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) says it has has forgiven the Catholic priest, Father Anthony Salangeta, for his recent attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema.

Lusaka’s Chawama Catholic Church Parish Priest, Father Salangeta, said sometimes politicians can be deceitful and detached from reality because people on the ground are interested in issues that directly affect them as opposed to rhetoric by politicians.

In his homily during Mass attended by former president Edgar Lungu, Father Salangeta said people on the ground are interested in having food in their homes and not the graphs which were presented by President Hichilema during his press briefing at State House.

UPND Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, told Zambian Monitor that the party has forgiven Father Salangeta because he is a human being who can easily error and Zambia is a Christian nation.

Mweetwa however said the church should continue to preach peace and unity in the country and avoid using the pulpit to issue divisive statements.

“As UPND we would to register our deepest concern and dismay at the utterances that were made by father Anthony Salangeta to a congregation in Lusaka relating to and using deeming language towards the Head of State,” he said.

Mweetwa said Zambia’s values and principles of Christianity are anchored through the men and women of God who grace the pulpit every week and to find that one has chosen to use deeming and derogatory language towards the Head of State is worrisome.

He said the clergy men and women should continue to unit the country in the way they carry out their duties knowing very well that their duty is not of this world but above.

“The people they preach to do not belong to one political persuasion but belong to many and when the clergy takes a political stance, they will be making others uncomfortable,” Mweetwa said.

He said the country should not return to the days of the PF where it had Christians for Lungu.

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