UPND RUBBISHES CATHOLICS
THE opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has rubbished the Catholic Church’s invitation for talks to end political differences between President Edgar Lungu and Hakainde Hichilema.
Fr Chilinda of the St. Ignatius Catholic Church had offered the use of the church for individual reconciliation in the same matter that late President Levy Mwanawasa did to reconcile with then opposition leader, Michael Sata. UPND secretary general, Stephen Katuka reiterated that the proposed talks would not yield anything tangible. He was reacting to St. Ignatius Parish priest, Fr Chilinda’s invitation to the UPND leader and President Lungu to reconcile. When contacted, Fr Chilinda said that he had no intention to interfere or usurp the ZCID led dialogue but was aware of the rift between President Lungu and Mr Hichilema and felt that any intervention to end this would be welcome. Addressing President Lungu who attended a church service, Fr Chilinda said that the church had such eminent prelates as Archbishop Alick Banda who should help bring the two leaders together. Mr Katuka questioned the capacity in which the Catholic priest was singularly inviting political players to dialogue when the church mother body to which he belonged was handling the matter. He told the Daily Nation that Fr Chilinda was undermining the authority of the church mother bodies by ‘hijacking’ the proposed dialogue. Mr Katuka reiterated that UPND would not attend talks organized by the Catholic priest, Fr Chilinda in his personal capacity. “How does Fr Chilinda invite them in his personal capacity? I don’t think that is anything worth talking about. If he is inviting them, in which capacity?” he questioned. Mr Katuka claimed that Fr Chilinda had tried to reconcile President Lungu and the UPND leader, Mr Hichilema in the past but failed. He alluded that even if the priest tried to reconcile the two today, the efforts would be in futility. Mr Katuka advised Fr Chilinda to let the three church mother bodies handle the proposed national dialogue and that he could only intercede through them. “First it was ZCID which tried to hijack the dialogue process, now it is Chilinda who wants to hijack! Fr Chilinda made them shake hands in that church of his, do you remember? And he prayed for them but nothing happened,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr Katuka also accused President Lungu of not being serious with the proposed national dialogue.