Dr. Privilege Hang’andu, a Zambian citizen and practicing Catholic, writes to the Pope’s representative in Zambia Archbishop Giani Luca Perici in response to a December 30, 2024, letter by Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa and Mr. John Sangwa, who defended Archbishop Alick Banda. Dr. Hang’andu disclaims knowledge of any alleged political efforts to remove Archbishop Banda but expresses his concerns regarding the archbishop’s behaviour. He acknowledges the Catholic Church’s historical role in promoting good governance in Zambia but criticises Archbishop Banda for being a divisive figure, involved in partisan politics and controversies that undermine the Church’s role in social justice.
Dr. Hang’andu outlines several reasons for his concerns, including Archbishop Banda’s alignment with controversial political groups, involvement in legal corruption matters, and actions that have damaged the Church’s reputation. He cites specific incidents, such as Archbishop Banda’s participation in a political memorial service for late President Michael Sata, his failure to attend a key ZCCB meeting with President Hakainde Hichilema, and his history of controversial statements. Dr. Hang’andu believes these actions contradict the Church’s values and hinder its ability to stand firmly on social justice and support the poor. He concludes by urging Archbishop Perici to consider these issues in his role as Apostolic Nuncio in Zambia and Malawi.
The letter here: file:///C:/Users/mafac/Downloads/DOC-20250102-WA0015_250102_202408.pdf
January 2, 2025
His Excellency, Most Reverend Giani Luca Perici
Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi
383 Los Angeles Boulevard, Longacres
P.O. Box 31445
10101, Lusaka, Zambia
Your Excellency, Archbishop Perici,
REF: Follow-up to the December 30, 2024 Letter Addressed to His Excellency Regarding Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda
My name is Dr. Privilege Hang’andu. I am a Zambian citizen and a practicing Catholic. I am a Political Science academic and Public Policy professional. I am writing this letter in my personal capacity to address issues raised in the December 30, 2024 letter to Your Excellency by two Zambians, Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa and Mr. John Sangwa SC in defense of the Most Rev. Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda. As I do, I would like to make a disclaimer that I am not privy to the alleged political maneuvers by the Government of the Republic of Zambia and its leadership to oust Archbishop Alick Banda from office. I will, therefore, not dwell on the merits or demerits of those claims because I have no evidence to ascertain or disprove them. I will mention though, Your Excellency, that I was intrigued that Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa had details of supposedly closed-door discussions between the Government of the Republic of Zambia and your predecessor. My motivation to write this letter is purely based on my firm love for my Church and my deep respect for the presbyteral and episcopate offices which Archbishop Alick Banda occupies. Please note that I have never been a member of any political party in Zambia and have never benefited from any privileges of association with any political party. I state this to stress the fact that I am writing this letter purely based on my concerns as a Catholic and in my personal capacity.
The Catholic Church and Social Justice
As acknowledged by Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa, the Catholic Church has played a pivotal role in promoting good governance in Zambia since independence from colonial British rule in 1964. The Catholic Church has not only acted in key moments of Zambia’s history but continues to operate key ongoing social justice works (e.g., Caritas Zambia, the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, Catholic community media, and education systems that form good Zambians intellectually and morally). The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has an impeccable record of holding successive Zambian governments accountable in their administration of public affairs. Indeed, the history of democracy and good governance in Zambia is incomplete without the role of the ZCCB and its attendant works, too many to list in this short letter. It is every Catholic and citizen’s desire to continue to see a firm and cohered ZCCB that shepherds our country with charity, kindness, and firmness.
Concerns Raised by Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa
Again, in support of the assertions made by Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa, successive Zambian governments have exhibited, to a varying degree, adversarial tendencies towards the Catholic Church at different times. Over time, the Catholic Church in Zambia has produced important social justice voices that have been targets of state actions, including deportation. Examples are many: In 2012, then Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu deported Fr. Viateur Banyangandora a Rwandese priest in Chipata Diocese for a sermon he had delivered that was perceived as antagonistic to the government; administrations of late Presidents Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda attempted to stifle then Mission Press Director Fr. Drevensek Miha, a strong advocate of good governance; Archbishop Mpundu was a frequent target of the Patriotic Front abuses under President Edgar Lungu; most recently, under President Hakainde Hichilema, police officers disrupted a meeting between Right Reverend Bishop Clement Mulenga of Kabwe Diocese and former President Edgar Lungu.
The difference between these experiences and the current situation concerning Archbishop Alick Banda is that, in almost all cases, the clergy were merely carrying out their presbyteral duties as any good pastor would. These were iconic, unconflicted, and consistent champions of social justice. As a result, the Catholic Church and its lay faithful rallied behind its leaders and stood firm in supporting its priests and Bishops. In all these instances, it was clear there was state upper-handedness, and, to my knowledge, the state made amends and apologies in some instances. Catholics saw in its priests Jesus’s suffering and cohered behind them. When the ZCCB issued pastoral statements, the Church listened and supported them. Your Excellency, “iconic”, “consistence”, and “unconflicted” are not attributes one would honestly use to describe Archbishop Alick Banda. On the contrary, Archbishop Alick Banda has been an extremely toxic figure not just to politicians but to many of us lay Catholic faithful. Your Excellency, we have never in the history of social justice in Zambia seen a Bishop so caught up in blatant scandal, partisan political machinations, and political lobbying as Archbishop Alick Banda.
Your Excellency, isn’t it ironic that a Catholic Archbishop of a large Metropolitan province should have his reputation endorsed and defended by one self-confessed agnostic, Dr. Sishuwa! It is, indeed, Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa’s right to affirm the love for Archbishop Banda, but they are both incompetent to determine whether a Catholic priest or Bishop is “fulfilling his responsibilities” with diligence. For example, they seem to not understand that Catholic bishops canonically retire at the age of 75. Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa state that one of the grounds for the purported campaign to remove Archbishop Banda was because there was a desire to reinstate Archbishop Mpundu whose grounds for retirement were no longer in existence. Your Excellency, how could one’s age no longer exist? Further, the assertion that a Catholic Bishop is fulfilling his responsibilities merely by “highlighting important issues”, without highlighting to you the deep controversies Archbishop Alick Banda is embroiled in is both simplistic and dishonest. Bishops in our Church hold sacred offices with a deep calling to embody the qualities of Jesus Christ, and fulsomely discharge sacerdotal duties.
As a Catholic, I feel duty bound to defend and support the Catholic Church and its leadership. However, my conscience has struggled to come to terms with supporting Archbishop Alick Banda for the following reasons.
1. Your Excellency, it is very clear to me that Archbishop Banda is a deeply toxic and divisive figure in the Zambian Catholic Church and in national matters. This is because he has acted in the most imprudent of ways of any ordained Catholic minister. At the height of political controversies prior to 2021 general elections, a time of deep national fragility, Archbishop Alick Banda took sides with a group of parliamentarians who called themselves “Catholic Parliamentarians” who publicly ridiculed a collective statement of the ZCCB. Archbishop Banda was a self-assigned chaplain to these MPs and appeared to enjoy the antagonism.
2. The worst of controversies was when Archbishop Banda was cited in a Zambian competent court of law in 2024 as having illicitly received a vehicle from the Zambia Revenue Authority. I am not privy to details or facts about this case, beyond what is in the public domain. Suffice to say that a Catholic bishop should never be cited in such corruption proceedings. In a draconian nation, this could have ended very badly to the embarrassment of the entire Catholic family in Zambia and beyond.
3. On October 28, 2024, against all common sense, Archbishop Alick Banda accepted to use the Catholic Church to preside over mass for opposition Patriotic Front members for the memorial of late president Micheal Sata even when his family had asked that every family member and Patriotic Front member gathers at the Anglican cathedral in Lusaka. While there might have been nothing inherently wrong with this action, prudence and common sense demanded that Archbishop Alick Banda, as shepherd of all, prevails over party members to promote unity among them, the Sata family and the government. What followed was a sad incident where the Zambia Police unprofessionally blocked access to the Church premises. To this date, all that Archbishop Banda sees and talks about is the conduct of the police and not his foundational omissions/commissions that led to the unprofessional police action.
4. Your Excellency, on several occasions, I have read statements on online blogs and in the Zambian media alleging all manner of misconduct of Archbishop Banda. I find those statements highly unprofessional, unkind, and unjustifiably injurious to the person of Archbishop Alick Banda and would not want to give them underserved attention by repeating some of their allegations. Despite all that, the fact that they surface in the first place is not insignificant and warrants further discernment on the part of Archbishop Alick Banda and the Church leadership.
5. Finally, Your Excellency, in the past, even when a named bishop was accused of siding with political party X, they did not boycott meetings with the government of the day. Our Bishops should never give up on reminding and shaping incumbent governments to respect human rights and to deliver on the welfare of all Zambians. Your Excellency, I have followed very closely public discussions between the ZCCB and the Zambian Government. Except for one incident (I stand to be corrected), I observed that Archbishop Alick Banda misses ZCCB’s meetings with the Zambian Government. Perhaps there are rational grounds for those absences. From a lay person’s perspective, these actions do not reflect good judgment, especially if, as Dr. Sishuwa and Mr. Sangwa point out, there are issues between Archbishop Alick Banda and the Zambian government that need addressing.
Your Excellency, to reiterate, the Catholic Church should stand firm in guiding this and subsequent governments and stand for the Gospel calling of always opting to side with the poor. Unfortunately, the examples I cite above do not confirm that Archbishop Alick Banda’s conduct aligns with the core tenets of social justice, or siding with the poor. Indeed, it is one thing to walk in the flooded poor neighborhoods of our city of Lusaka; it is quite another to live out true preferential option for the poor in one’s values, associations, and consistent witness of life.
The question is: why is Archbishop Banda always caught up in all manner of controversies, including partisan associations and allegations of scandals?
Your Excellency, I wish you every blessing in your mission and tour of duty as the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Zambia and Malawi.
In my prayers,
Dr. Privilege Hang’andu
CC: President Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia
Archbishop Ignatius Chama, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kasama Archdiocese and
President of the ZCCB
Archbishop Alick Banda, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lusaka Arcdiocese
Rev. Fr. Francis Katongo Mukosa, ZCCB Secretary General
Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa, Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University
Mr. John Sangwa, SC – Simeza, Sangwa and Associates.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
Discover more from MAKANDAY
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
