CARITAS ZAMBIA ACCUSATIONS PURPORTING THAT IT IS IN AN ALLIANCE WITH THE OPPOSITION PATRIOTIC FRONT ARE FALSE AND MISLEADING

CARITAS ZAMBIA SAYS THE RECENT ACCUSATIONS PURPORTING THAT IT IS IN AN ALLIANCE WITH THE OPPOSITION  PATRIOTIC FRONT (PF) AND IS PLANNING TO REMOVE THE MMD GOVERNMENT FROM POWER IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTIONS ARE  FALSE AND MISLEADING MEANT TO DISCREDIT AND EMBARRASS NOT ONLY CARITAS ZAMBIA BUT CATHOLIC CHURCH AS A WHOLE.

CARITAS ZAMBIA ACTING DIRECTO MILIMO MWIBA SAYS HER ORGANISATION IS A CREDIBLE AND NON PARTISAN ONE HENCE THE ACCUSATIONS SHOULD BE DISMISSED WITH THE CONTEMPT THEY DESERVE.

SPEAKING IN AN INTERVIEW WITH RADIO PHOENIX TODAY MS MWIBA SAID THE ACCUSATIONS ARE TOTALLY UNTRUE AS CARITAS ZAMBIA CANNOT FORM ALLIANCES WITH POLITICAL PARTIES AS IT  BELIEVES IN A MULTI PARTY DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM WHERE VARIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES COMPETE FAIRLY TO ASSUME POLITICAL LEADERSHIP.

SHE SAYS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS COMPOSED OF MEMBERS WHO BELONG TO DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTIES AND HENCE IT WOULD  BE UNFAIR FOR CARITAS ZAMBIA TO BE ALIGNED TO ONE POLITICAL PARTY.

SHE HAS SINCE CALLED ON THE ORGANISATION`S  COOPERATING PARTNERS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE HOODWINKED BY THE ACCUSATIONS, AS CARITAS ZAMBIA IS A TRANSPARENT ORGANIZATION.     

AND ZAMBIA EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE  PRESIDENT BISHOP GEORGE LUNGU OF CHIPATA SAYS IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT  ATTACKS ON THE CHURCH ARE CO-ORDINATED AND PLANNED CITING THE LIKES OF CHANDA CHIMBA III WHOM HE SAYS  WOULD NEVER ON HIS OWN ACCORD HAVE THE OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL ABILITY TO CARRY ON THE KIND OF ATTACKS BEING WAGED AGAINST CATHOLICS.

BISHOP LUNGU ALSO NOTED THE GROWING BUT STEADY STREAM OF INDIVIDUALS, JOURNALISTS AND QUESTIONABLE ORGANISATIONS THAT ARE READY TO PARADE THEMSELVES BEFORE THE PUBLIC MEDIA VILIFYING INNOCENT CITIZENS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH STATING THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS ARE GIVEN SUCH PUZZLING AND UNFETTERED ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC MEDIA.

HE STATES THAT THE GIST OF THE ATTACKS, CLEARLY, ARE MEANT TO DISCREDIT AND CAST ASPERSIONS AGAINST THE LEADERSHIP AND GENERAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ZAMBIA AND IN THE PROCESS, THIS IS MEANT TO CREATE DESPONDENCY, DIVISION AND CONFUSION AMONG CATHOLICS.

AND ON THE ASPECT OF HOMOSEXUALITY, BISHOP LUNGU SAYS THE CATHOLIC TEACHING DOES NOT PROMOTE HOMOSEXUALITY STATING THAT HOMOSEXUAL ACTS ARE SERIOUSLY WRONG AND SINFUL AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN HOMOSEXUAL ACTS BE APPROVED.

THIS IS CONTAINED IN A LETTER ADDRESSED TO CATHOLICS IN ZAMBIA ON CONSTANT ATTACKS DIRECTED AT CATHOLICS IN THE PUBLIC MEDIA AND TO BE READ IN ALL CATHOLIC CHURCHES ON ASCENSION SUNDAY ON 5^TH JUNE 2011.

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