By EditorZambia
FOR decades, the Catholic Church in Zambia has been respected as one of the country’s most enduring moral anchors, a guardian of conscience, a custodian of dialogue, and a defender of human dignity.
But today, that reputation is under unprecedented scrutiny. Not because of doctrine, not because of theology, but because some of the Church’s top leaders appear to be drifting dangerously into partisan activism, in ways that threaten national unity and the Church’s own internal cohesion. 
The question many Zambians are asking is no longer whispered. It is loud, unavoidable, and urgent:
Is the Catholic Church speaking, or are certain clergy simply using the pulpit to fight political battles on behalf of the opposition?
Recent events have made this question impossible to ignore.
A Parish Celebration or a Political Rally?
The appearance of Lusaka Mayor Her Worship Chilando Chitangala alongside senior Patriotic Front (PF) leaders, including presidential candidate Makebi Zulu, at St. Andrew Kaggwa Parish in Lilanda during the 10th Anniversary celebration of Fr. Daniel Chisha raised legitimate concerns.
Why was a religious event so heavily populated by figures from a single political grouping? And why did the clergy involved appear comfortable presiding over what clearly became a partisan spectacle?
It is one thing for political leaders to attend church. It is another far more troubling when certain clergy appear to curate spaces that give one political faction legitimacy and visibility under the guise of religious celebration.
This trend is becoming too frequent to dismiss as coincidence.
Archbishops Alick Banda and Ignatius Chama:
Guardians of Faith or Political Firebrands?
The two most politically outspoken senior clerics today, Archbishop Alick Banda and Archbishop Ignatius Chama, have repeatedly issued statements that many within the Church describe as partisan, confrontational, and unreflective of the ZCCB’s collective position.
Archbishop Banda’s fiery warnings about the country descending into “strife, blood bath, and destruction of innocent lives” were delivered with a tone and framing that seemed less like pastoral concern and more like political agitation.
His homily lamented “selective application of the rule of law” and “selective administration of justice,” language that mirrors opposition talking points almost word for word.
There is nothing wrong with speaking about peace or justice. That is the Church’s mandate.
But when homilies consistently echo the political language of one camp, the line between moral teaching and political messaging becomes blurred beyond recognition.
Archbishop Chama has gone a step further, openly urging Christians to join a nationwide march against proposed constitutional reforms, describing it as a “sacred civic duty.”
Marching is a civic choice, not a sacrament. And it is dangerous, even reckless, for a cleric to impose a religious halo over a partisan confrontation.
This is not pastoral leadership. This is not moral guidance. This is political mobilisation wrapped in liturgical robes.
A Church Divided by Its Own Shepherds
The most distressing reality is not that some clergy are taking partisan positions. It is that they are dragging the Church into internal division.
Many priests have distanced themselves from the political posture of the two Archbishops.
Some have done so quietly. Others, like Fr. Elias Muma have spoken boldly, calling on opposition figures, especially Makebi Zulu, to show moral restraint instead of using sensitive national events as campaign platforms.
When priests are publicly calling out other clergy for political bias, it signals a Church in crisis.
When parishioners walk into Mass wondering whether their priest supports a political party, it signals a Church losing moral authority.
When Catholics can not distinguish homily from political speech, it signals a Church failing in its sacred duty of neutrality.
If left unchecked, this clerical division risks spilling into society, where political tensions already run high.
Archbishop Banda’s Trip to South Africa For a Funeral That Never Was: A Disturbing Case of Political Bias
Many Zambians were left baffled by Archbishop Banda’s decision to travel all the way to South Africa to conduct a funeral Mass without the body present.
How does an Archbishop abandon urgent pastoral duties at home, including the rising division within his own Church to participate in a questionable ceremony in another country?
What pastoral justification was so compelling that it required such a public, politically-charged gesture?
This was not spirituality.
It was not ecclesiastical necessity. It looked like political theatre.
The Dangerous Revival of Clerical Radicalism
Zambia has been here before.
In the 1980s and 1990s, a handful of Catholic figures became entangled in liberation-theology activism, often blurring the distinction between preaching justice and orchestrating political confrontation.
Pope Benedict XVI himself warned the global Church that liberation theology, when tainted by ideological activism, leads to distortions of faith and fractures of communities.
Today, Zambia is witnessing a dangerous resurrection of that same clerical radicalism, repackaged for the contemporary political arena.
This Is No Longer a Local Issue. The Vatican Must Intervene.
The behaviour of certain senior clergy in Zambia has crossed the threshold of internal dispute. It has become a matter of global ecclesiastical concern.
The Vatican must take interest, urgently.
Not to silence legitimate moral teaching.
Not to suppress the Church’s prophetic voice.
But to restore discipline, neutrality, unity, and spiritual integrity.
If Rome fails to act, Zambia risks witnessing
a Church split along political lines,
congregations turning against each other,
clergy becoming political mobilisers,
and national tensions deepening under the weight of religious authority.
A Church that fuels political confrontation, intentionally or through reckless activism, can inadvertently push a fragile society toward unrest.
No responsible Catholic wants that.
No responsible citizen should tolerate that.
Zambia Needs the Church, Not a Clerical Opposition Party
Zambia respects the Catholic Church because of its historical role as a stabiliser, a reconciler, and a moral compass.
But that respect is not unconditional.
It does not extend to individual clergy who use the altar to wage partisan battles.
It does not extend to political theatrics disguised as pastoral concern.
It does not extend to Archbishops who divide the flock they are meant to shepherd.
The Church must choose:
Will it remain a house of faith or become a platform for political agitation?
The Vatican must choose:
Will it restore discipline or watch a respected institution fracture under partisan pressure?
Zambia must choose:
Will it allow clerics to inflame tensions or demand neutrality from those entrusted with spiritual authority?
The time for quiet concern is over.
The time for Roman oversight is now.
