Church Mother Bodies Call on Zambians to Promote Peace
By Ruth Chayinda
The Three Church Mother Bodies have called on Zambians to promote peace, unity and responsible communication, particularly on social media platforms.
The Council of Churches in Zambia, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops say social media should be used to promote constructive dialogue, civic participation and democracy rather than division and hostility.
In a Joint Pastoral statement issued in Lusaka, the three Church Mother Bodies expressed concern over the spread of propaganda, misinformation, insults, personal attacks and inflammatory messages on social media.
They have also raised concern over the use of children in political communication, particularly in videos and messages where children are encouraged or permitted to insult or ridicule political leaders and other adults.
The Church Mother Bodies say children should not be used as instruments of political hostility, warning that they should instead be taught values of truth, respect, responsibility, dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
The statement, issued under the theme ,Loving Our Neighbour – Even in Cyberspace has also called for restraint during periods of political tension..
The Church Mother Bodies stressed that freedom of expression must be accompanied by responsibility, saying citizens can disagree politically without becoming enemies and can criticize policies without resorting to insults or dehumanising others.
They have further urged political parties and leaders to reject provocative language, discourage supporters from insulting or threatening opponents, correct misinformation circulated in their names and encourage debate centered on policies, programmes and ideas rather than personalities.
The Church Mother Bodies have urged Zambians not to allow political differences to destroy friendships, families, churches and communities.
They have also appealed to the clergy across the country to make peace building and responsible communication part of their pastoral ministry.
The statement was signed by Reverend Canon JAMES PHIRI of the Council of Churches in Zambia, Reverend ALLAN KASUNGAMI of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia and Father FRANCIS MUKOSA of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops.