“We serve as a prophetic voice for society”: Zambia’s Catholic Bishops Reject Claims of Involvement in Partisan Politics

Lusaka, 04 February, 2026 / 5:37 PM

Members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have clarified the nature of their pastoral mandate, reaffirming that their engagement with societal issues derives from their responsibility to address the spiritual, moral, and ethical dimensions of public life.

In a statement issued Tuesday, February 3, the Catholic Church leaders have responded to an online publication that linked the ZCCB to an alleged national political event. The Catholic Church leaders stress that their public interventions flow from their duty as “shepherds” and should not be misconstrued as partisan political activity.

“We, the Catholic Bishops, serve as a prophetic voice for society, offering guidance on issues of governance, morality, and spiritual matters according to our mandate as shepherds of God's people,” the Catholic Bishops say.

They categorically deny any involvement in the formation of a movement described as “the government in waiting,” and distance themselves from claims that they are associated with the purported “National Conference of Democratic Change Advocates,” which The Editor Zambia, an online news blog, alleged they were scheduled to host on February 6.

“The ZCCB maintains a position of non-partisanship,” the Catholic Church leaders state in the one-page statement signed by ZCCB President Archbishop Ignatius Chama, noting that their role as shepherds involves providing guidance on issues of governance, morality, and spiritual matters.

Reaffirming their longstanding stance, the Catholic Church leaders emphasize that the ZCCB “maintains a position of non-partisanship.” 

They urge the people of God under their pastoral care to disregard the contents of the February 2 publication and call for its immediate withdrawal with “a public apology.”

“ZCCB demands a public apology from The Editor Zambia and immediate withdrawal of the article by 6th February 2026, failure to which legal action would be sought,” the Catholic Church leaders say in their February 3 statement.

The ZCCB members have emphasized the need to embrace “sane politics” in the Southern African country, which they observe has always experienced a “toxic nature of political discourse filled with insults, tribalism, and character assassination during elections.”

Addressing the forthcoming elections in a January 30 pastoral letter, Zambia’s Catholic Bishops called “for issue-based campaigns,” urging political candidates to focus on clearly articulating policies they intend to address if elected in the August general elections.

They also called for responsible use of the media and encouraged all journalists, both in public and private media, to uphold truth, fairness, and to foster national unity.

“Sensationalism, biasness, and misinformation only deepen division,” the ZCCB cautioned in their pastoral letter.