CHURCH MOTHER BODIES WARN AGAINST ONLINE HATE, POLITICAL INSULTS

CHURCH MOTHER BODIES WARN AGAINST ONLINE HATE, POLITICAL INSULTS LUSAKA, Sunday, August 23, 2026 — Zambia’s three Church Mother Bodies have called on political leaders, citizens and social media users to reject hate speech, misinformation, insults and political hostility The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference of […]

CHURCH MOTHER BODIES WARN AGAINST ONLINE HATE, POLITICAL INSULTS

LUSAKA, Sunday, August 23, 2026 — Zambia’s three Church Mother Bodies have called on political leaders, citizens and social media users to reject hate speech, misinformation, insults and political hostility

The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) made the call in a joint pastoral statement titled “Loving Our Neighbour – Even in Cyberspace: A Call to Peace, Responsibility, Respect and Responsible Use of Social Media.”

The Church bodies said while social media has become an important platform for civic participation, information sharing and holding leaders accountable, it was increasingly being used to spread propaganda, misinformation, insults, personal attacks and inflammatory messages.

They expressed particular concern over content designed to divide Zambians along political, regional, ethnic and generational lines.

The Church also raised concern over the involvement of children in political communication, particularly the production and circulation of videos in which children are encouraged or permitted to insult, ridicule or demean political leaders, public officials and other adults.

“Children should not be made instruments of political hostility,” the Church said, warning that young people should instead be taught truth, respect, responsibility, dialogue, compassion and peaceful coexistence.

The three Church Mother Bodies stressed that freedom of expression must be accompanied by responsibility, saying citizens have the right to criticise leaders and participate in public affairs but should not use that freedom to promote hatred, humiliation, incitement or deliberate misinformation.

They said Zambians should be able to disagree politically without becoming enemies, adding that policies could be criticised without insulting individuals and political parties could be defended without attacking their supporters.

“Democracy requires disagreement, but peace requires discipline in how we disagree,” the Church said.

The Church further called on political parties, presidential candidates, aspiring candidates, party officials and supporters to honour the spirit and letter of the Peace Pledge.

Political leaders were urged to reject inflammatory language, discourage supporters from insulting or threatening opponents, avoid using children in political confrontation, correct misinformation circulated in their names and encourage debate based on policies, programmes and ideas rather than personalities.

The Church Mother Bodies also called on ordinary citizens to take personal responsibility for preserving peace.

They urged citizens not to forward information merely because it supports their political position, share humiliating videos or participate in online abuse.

“Think before you post. Verify before you share. Pray before you respond,” the statement said, warning that phones should not become instruments of division.

The Church also directed a special appeal to clergy across the country to make peacebuilding and responsible communication part of their pastoral ministry.

Bishops, pastors, priests, reverends, ministers, evangelists, chaplains and other church leaders were urged to read the statement during services, preach about peace and reconciliation, discourage political insults and inflammatory speech, promote responsible social media use and protect children from political manipulation and online abuse.

The three Church Mother Bodies called on political parties, candidates, citizens, churches, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, the media, parents and young people to work together to protect Zambia’s peace.

They warned against allowing social media to become a political battlefield and urged Zambians to choose dialogue over insults, truth over propaganda and unity over division.

“Zambia is bigger than our political differences,” the Church said, stressing that elections and political campaigns would eventually end, while the country would remain.

The statement was issued in Lusaka on August 23, 2026, by the CCZ, EFZ and ZCCB and signed by Rev. Canon James Phiri, Reverend Allan Kasungami and Father Francis Mukosa respectively.