The Church is compromised - Bishop Mambo

The Church is compromised - Bishop Mambo
By Florence Bupe
Sun 02 Jan. 2011, 04:02 CAT

THE Church has been compromised and is not representing the poor in society, says Bishop John Mambo. In an interview, Bishop Mambo said only the Catholic Church had been consistent in speaking for the voiceless in society despite attacks from the government.

He said some clergymen had been ‘bought’ by politicians and were only interested in filling their pockets.

“The Church has been compromised and some of these new bishops just want to drink coffee with the Republican President. The Church has made things worse by failing to stand for the majority of people suffering in society,” he said.

Bishop Mambo urged the Church not to entertain complacency resulting from selfish motives and fear of being victimised by the government in the fight against poverty.

“The Catholic Church is being called names for speaking out against injustices in society. This should be the spirit of the Church because that is what Christ would do… help the poor in society,” he said.
Bishop Mambo said it was saddening that the gap between the rich and the poor had continued to widen yet the government was giving a blind eye to reality.

“The rich are getting filthy rich while the poor have become much poorer. This is not the way the country should be run,” he said.

Bishop Mambo said the provision of social services still left much to be desired as the majority of poor Zambians did not have access to basic amenities.

He said the provision of services like education and medical attention to citizens should not be regarded as a favour.

And Bishop Mambo said the ministers surrounding President Rupiah Banda were a liability to the country’s development.

He said most ministers were lying to President Banda just to keep their jobs instead of informing him of the discontent among the electorate.

He said Zambians should ensure that they vote into office a vibrant political leadership that would drive the country forward.

“We need to see a Parliament that is vibrant and willing to change with prevailing trends. It seems our Parliament has done away with the vocabulary of retirement. We have politicians who have been in office since 1964 and they don’t want to give way to change,” said Bishop Mambo.