Maravi

Fr Luonde refuses to pray for judges

Fr Luonde refuses to pray for judges
By Ernest Chanda
Sun 10 June 2012, 13:00 CAT

FATHER Richard Luonde says he cannot pray for judges because they are not showing signs of repentance. The Kitwe Anglican Priest said biblical principles demanded that people accepted their wrongs and repented before they could be forgiven and prayed for.

Fr Luonde was reacting to Chief Justice Ernest Sakala's call for prayers on judges and the Judiciary. He said since the judges had portrayed a public picture of innocence, there was no need for anyone to pray for them.

"How do you pray for people who don't want to reform themselves? You only pray for a person who is repentant. It would be a waste of time; how do you pray for someone who is not sorry?" he asked.

"And for me, I'm not taking it away from them; some of these judges if not all they are Christians. And they should understand the principle of Christianity. The principle of Christianity is, 'forgive and you shall be forgiven; repent and you shall be forgiven'. Now, if people don't repent and don't look at their shortcomings, how could they be forgiven?"

On the Bibles donated to the judges, Fr Luonde said: "Some of them have piles and piles of Bibles in their homes; even in their offices. They read them but they don't understand them. That's why if you read the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in the Bible who, when he was asked by the Evangelist Philip if he knew what he was reading, said how can I understand, unless I'm taught? Also these people should begin to understand what they are called for."

Fr Luonde reminded judges that theirs was a call from God to serve humanity with integrity.

"To be a judge is a biblical calling; you bring peace among the afflicted, you bring peace on those who are trodden on, you bring peace on those who are not treated well in the communities. So when they come to you, they are asking God to say can God intervene through the person He has put across as our adjudicator? They are in the same footing as priests or pastors," said Fr Luonde.

"So you continue giving Bibles to people who are found wanting by the communities, what will be the purpose of those donations? You only go to them if they are ready to recognise their shortcomings and they ask for forgiveness; that's when you begin to re-lecture them. To me it's like Zambia is a state where the Judiciary has its own powers and the executive has its own powers. It's like we have a country within a country. People are now skeptical about going to the courts; be it magistrate court, be it the High Court or Supreme Court. And if they Judiciary can rise against the Executive, what more with the ordinary person? Zambians are now scared; they are now seeing that the Judiciary is more powerful than the executive, which is not the case."

Speaking after he received Bibles from Save Rural Africa Foundation president chief Chipepo on Friday, justice Sakala asked for prayers from members of the public, especially now and said no one in the Judiciary was resisting reforms.

Labels: JUDICIARY, RICHARD LUONDE

posted by MrK @ 2:22 PM