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Christian Leaders in South Africa Declare May 5 Day of Prayer for Peaceful Elections

Official logo of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). Credit: SACC

By ACI Africa Staff

Johannesburg, 16 March, 2024 / 8:10 pm (ACI Africa).

Christian leaders in South Africa have declared May 5 a day of national prayer for peaceful general elections in the country that are scheduled to place on May 29.

In a March 9 statement, officials of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) say the need for “dedicated prayer ahead of the 2024 elections” was “unanimously” agreed upon at their National Executive Committee (NEC) gathering ahead of the country’s National and Provincial elections.

“The NEC agreed that Sunday, 5 May 2024 would be observed by all member churches of the SACC - and called on the nation to join in praying together - as the National Day of Prayer for the 2024 General Elections,” SACC officials say. 

In the statement, the President of the entity that includes members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) explains the importance of the day of prayer ahead of the polls.

“Our people still bear the painful scars of the violent eruptions of our country’s history and we cannot adopt a posture of blindness to the signs of our times,” Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of the Anglican Archdiocese of Cape Town says.

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Therefore, the Anglican Archbishop continues, “our call for a National Day of Prayer for the 2024 General Elections is a reminder of the core mission of the church, which is to advocate for hope in the face of hopelessness,” 

He further says, “In the face of the many challenges of our country, we yearn for a renewal of our minds in God, that we might evolve into a transformed society; charged with the mission to reconcile the world we live in, with God’s world through His word.”

On his part, SACC's Acting General Secretary, Rev. Mzwandile Molo, says, “Our prayer for South Africa is for a safe voting season, where each registered voter will exercise their right to vote in peace; and where every vote cast will be counted.”

Voting in peace and having every vote cast count, Rev. Molo says, “remains our focus, and as religious leaders, we have re-affirmed our role to bring the messages of hope to our people, in order to inspire a wave of peace over our country.”

ACI Africa Staff

ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.

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