Will the Anglican Archbishop Speak About Bishop Trevor Mwamba’s Detention?

By Joe Mtonga As an Anglican, I find it hard to believe that the Anglican Church in Zambia, and the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa has remained mute regarding the arrest of Bishop Trevor Mwamba. Detained at the home of opposition leader…

By Joe Mtonga

As an Anglican, I find it hard to believe that the Anglican Church in Zambia, and the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa has remained mute regarding the arrest of Bishop Trevor Mwamba. Detained at the home of opposition leader Brian Mundubile, the circumstances of his arrest—and the claims leveled against him by President Hichilema—demand a pastoral statement from Archbishop Albert Chama and other bishops. The Anglican faithful in Zambia, the broader Anglican Communion, and the world are waiting.

Bishop Mwamba is more than a title; he has served at the highest levels of the Province of Central Africa. Before his election as Bishop of Botswana, he served as Provincial Secretary to the Primate, Walter Khotso Makhulu. He is a distinguished lawyer and a respected theologian possessing an integrity that few in the episcopacy can match.

It is shocking that the Archbishop and Primate of Central Africa has failed to speak on a matter that strikes at the very heart of the office of the Bishop, the Church, and the nation. This is not a question of whether the Primate agrees with the President or bishop Mwamba; it is a question of clerical duty. Bishop Mwamba remains a member of the clergy. Anglicans globally deserve to know: has the Church instituted its own investigations? What is the status of his health? How is his family faring? How can the faithful support them?

It is important to realize that silence is not pastoral; it is a dereliction of duty. The faithful deserve to know what the Archbishop knows and whether he has engaged with fellow bishops or state organs. This is not a political declaration of innocence; it is the basic exercise of pastoral care. To hear voices of concern from a South African Archbishop while his own remains silent is puzzling.

Is it not time for the Anglican Church to dump what someone has termed “a relic of the colonial politics of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland”–that is the position that sought not to upset the white minority government by pretending to be “neutral” on liberation political issues? During that era, the Anglican Church curated peace where the oppressor and the oppressed could shake hands in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (all churches), but never resolve their racial conflicts of colonialism. The mantra was simple: we pray here, but we do not practice liberation politics.

Sadly, this is what later constituted Zambian Anglican public theology—and it is a flawed theology. It suggested that if you wanted politics or a stand against corruption and injustice, you should walk across the street to the High Court. It claimed that inside the church, we talk only to God about God, ignoring that God demands justice for the oppressed. This myth seem to control the Church’s public position. Yet in times like this, it becomes problematic. We need the Church that lives in the now–always speaking to daily issues.

Archbishop, The Most. Rt. Rev. Dr. Albert Chama, please I beg you, speak to the nation. You are the Primate of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and Malawi. We your people need to hear your voice; in times of crisis, your voice matters!