Serve the People of Zambia as God wants – Catholic Bishops

The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has on Friday 18^th November, 2022, released a Pastoral Statement on the State of the Nation. The Statement, entitled: A CALL TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA AS GOD WANTS, gives a synopsis of the current trends in the nation.

Positive strides acknowledged

The statement highlights the many positive strides the government has made in the country, among them the Increased Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and employment of Government workers in various fields.

“First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge the good will of the government to bring about development to all corners of the country through the introduction of Free Education, increment of Constituency Development Fund (CDF), employment of health, education, police service, correctional service, defense forces, immigration personnel and many others” notes the statement.

Negative trends highlighted

As well as noting those good things in the nation, the Bishops are highly concerned about the high levels of poverty, especially in rural areas and the increased moral decay in the country.

The Bishops state:

“Poverty and inequality levels in the country continue to rise and government needs to urgently address this. Zambia faces both high levels of poverty and inequality, even when compared to other countries in the region. lnvestment and impressive economic growth over the decade brought benefits to urban areas, but poverty in rural areas remains widespread.”

The statement continues:

“It is with deep sorrow that we notice a steady rise in cases of child sexual abuse, early child marriages, child labour, sodomy, Gender Based Violence, human trafficking, homosexuality, bestiality, suicide and abductions in Zambia. These are clear indications that moral standards among our people have drastically dropped.”

In the light of moral decadency the Church leaders implore the Security Wings to do something.

“We therefore call upon security agencies to act promptly.”

The fight against moral decay is huge, hence:

“As a nation, we all need to put our heads together to bring these immoral activities to a halt. For us to achieve this noble objective we ought to uphold Christian and family values which are of paramount importance. The use of vulgar language in the nation especially through social media should be discouraged,” the Bishops elaborate.

Other vital points that call for serious reflection, contained in the 6-pages document, include: Regional and Tribal Sentiments, Unemployment, Public Health and Free Education Policy.

Land tenure and land security, Environment and Climate Change and Constitutionalism are also included, as is the Rule of law and Access to Justice, Cadrism, Human Rights situation and the Fight against corruption.

The Statement has been signed by all the Catholic Bishops of Zambia.

Below is the full statement.

ZCCB_Statement_of_state_nation