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Shikapwasha must apologise to Catholics, demands Fr Mpasa

Shikapwasha must apologise to Catholics, demands Fr Mpasa
Written by George Chellah
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 2:50:30 PM

MANSA Diocese Vicar-General Fr Mambwe Mpasa yesterday demanded that information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha must apologise to Catholics if he has any sense of remorse in him.

Commenting on Lt Gen Shikapwasha's ministerial statement to Parliament over a week ago on the violence against journalists by MMD cadres in which he accused the Catholic Church of having perpetrated the Rwanda genocide of 1994, Fr Mpasa said he was really disappointed when the minister stood on the floor of the National Assembly and made that statement, which was empty in substance concerning the government's position.

"If Honourable Shikapwasha who is a Reverend also, a man of God made that statement from the pulpit of his church I would have not minded much because some sects or so-called churches don't see the difference between preaching the good news and attacking other churches like he did when he attacked the Catholic church. For some churches hatred for other churches is synonymous to good news. So I wouldn't have been surprised if he was saying all those things about the Catholics from his pulpit," Fr Mpasa said. "But to say all those things on the floor of the National Assembly I was deeply troubled. And more still, I was more troubled that he finished everything and sat down with no challenge in the form of maybe a point of order from another member of parliament. On the contrary all what we heard was 'hear! hear! hear!' from some members of parliament, which made me think, 'are these lawmakers endorsing the law breaking as was uttered by Honourable Shikapwasha'?

"That was sad for me. In my view, the National Assembly risks to have its integrity undermined. How can an Honourable member of parliament, a Cabinet minister for that matter and the government spokesperson rise on the floor of Parliament and perpetuate violence and law breaking? That, I find it sad."

Asked whether Lt Gen Shikapwasha needed to apologise to the Catholic Church, Fr Mpasa responded: "I don't know if he has any sense of remorse in him. I think he should apologise to us but it is not for me to ask for an apology from him. All I can say is that for him to equate us to murderers I think he was not fair on us and he is not right because we are not."

He expressed displeasure with Lt Gen Shikapwasha's statement that The Post was inciting the Catholics against him.

"For him to think that the Catholic Church is being incited by The Post, what does he take the Catholic Church for? We are not dunderheads to be incited by any paper. We are people of good morals, we are principled people...so we cannot be incited by any paper. For him to say we are incited by The Post he is just insulting us just like he insulted us when he said we are murderers and we were involved in perpetuating genocide," Fr Mpasa said. "What he did is what happens when people start thinking with their tummies so as their pockets instead of using their heads. The Lord, since He was quoting scripture, He wanted us to stand by God, the Lord God I think it is in Luke chapter 16 v 13 somewhere there... in which the Lord cautioned us on worshiping two masters. He said you cannot worship money and God you may respect one and despise the other. I think my brother Reverend Shikapwasha is falling victim of that.

"And again in the same Bible I would want to quote Mathew 7 v 6 where the Lord says don't give what is holy to the swine. The offices we have put those people into are very important offices, which in religious language we can say they are holy offices. And those are the offices they are abusing actually, not using to turn against us. To turn against innocent people and start harassing them and for Honourable Shikapwasha to say all those things in Parliament, he was enjoying his immunity, which is an abuse."

Fr Mpasa said he would want to pray that members of parliament and all those people in high offices should stop abusing the privileges and immunity of the National Assembly.

"They should consider that House as holy and not stand on its floor to peddle lies and to preach vengeance and hatred against individuals and institutions. To the government, I would want to advise that if they do not really agree with what he said they should distance themselves from that statement he presented in Parliament because it contained no substance and nothing but just hatred, vengeance and intolerance. They should speak out and caution him not to present such statements," Fr Mpasa said. "As to my brother Reverend, the man of God, he may do well to take sometime and reflect, pray over what he said and pray over what he is. And if possible go back to a refresher course in the college where he did his theology and scripture if at all he did any. He will do well to do that and let him be a man of God and always sincere and true to God he is preaching about."

He said as a man of God, Lt Gen Shikapwasha should not stand on the side of violence.

"Whether people are offended or not, he shouldn't allow people to take the law into their hands. There are proper channels where people can address their grievances. He should always be mindful that the President is a Republican President, he is ours, he is for everybody not just for a few," Fr Mpasa said. "And when he says the supporters of those who are being insulted, he should be mindful of the fact that everybody has his own supporters, there are supporters of other people. So if all the supporters of other people rose and met other supporters what is going to happen? So let him be mindful of that."

Giving a ministerial statement, Lt Gen Shikapwasha accused the church of trying to jostle for who they should put into State House.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the church in Rwanda took sides with newspapers and radio stations, which were fanning out falsehoods and propaganda that led to the genocide.

"The church blindly took sides in opposing camps such that it is reported Mr Speaker that 'after a century of Christian proselytisation the country was catholicised but not Christianised. Ritual was generally followed but the spirit was missing. This became tragically evident for the church, only after April to May 1994, when its people slaughtered their brethren wholesale inside the churches on orders from civil authorities and priests. This Mr Speaker is because the church took sides with men. The church must take sides with God," said Lt Gen Shikapwasha.

Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, MAMBWE MPASA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA

posted by MrK @ 1:51 PM