Anglican Church ‘comforts’ Mutharika

The Anglican Church has assured State President Peter Mutharika he has an established ally in the church in the face of the various socio-economic challenges currently facing Malawi.

This was revealed on Tuesday when a cohort of Anglican bishops from the church’s Central African Province gave him a courtesy call at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe. The province comprises Anglican dioceses from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.

Archbishop Albert Chama from Zambia, who heads the province, said churches and governments are entities that need each other as they strive to serve the spiritual and bodily needs of the general public.

He cited the current hunger situation, widely believed to have been caused by droughts in recent years, as an area that needs combined efforts to deal with.

“Mr President, you are not alone; we are in this together,” said the Archbishop.

“And the same is true as regards our commitment to try and help alleviate the effects of the current humanitarian crisis. As a church, we are not going to relent in our efforts to solicit help from far and wide –be it in cash or in kind- towards the hunger that’s slated to affect about half the population. After all, we serve the same public.”

In his remarks, Mutharika repeated his pledge to uphold religious freedom in the country; claiming the church has been one of the key pillars in raising the country’s social development especially through education and health sectors.

“It always feels nice to be among men of the collar. It’s very comforting.”

Jokingly, the president added, “I don’t remember the last time I was surrounded by such a powerful delegation of the clergy. With your presence and your words, I feel already saved and that I’ll go to Heaven when I die”

The bishops from the region are this week meeting in Malawi’s Capital, Lilongwe, for their annual Episcopal Synod summit.