WHAT comes to the fore when President Edgar Lungu urges the church to provide spiritual guidance in the wake of ritual killings and the recent deaths recorded from road traffic accidents in the country is that the Church has been better equipped than any other society players in consolidating peace gains through the reconciliation process.
Out of this realisation, President Lungu also reiterates his call for the Church to denounce violence and preach peace as the country heads to the elections in August this year.
The head of State said this when he officiated at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) at Heroes Stadium recently.
“In the wake of the various vices that are confronting our nation, among them, a spate of ritual killings and the recent deaths caused by road  traffic accidents, I appeal to the Church to provide spiritual guidance and firmly stand in the gap for our country to overcome,” President Lungu said.
He urged the Church to intensify efforts to preach peace and love to the Zambian people as the foundation on which the country’s forefathers built the nation.
To the President, the Church is blessed with the role of a messenger of peace by denouncing violence and preaching peace.
No doubt, the Church has continued to play a cardinal role in various sectors of society such as education and health.
Little wonder President Lungu commends the RCZ for its role in the health and education sectors in the 15 schools and two hospitals managed in Eastern Province, which were supplementing Government’s efforts in the provision of education, health and social services.
The Catholic Church commands an equally big share of uplifting the welfare of society in various sectors of the socio-economic and political affairs.
Broadly put, the Catholic Church has been instrumental in peacemaking, the promotion of constructive dialogue at all levels among political parties involved in violent conflicts in the Great Lakes Region.
Even at regional level, through the structures of justice and peace commissions, the Church in the Great Lakes region, has engaged communities from neighbouring dioceses in prejudices reduction encounters, and opened up for more cooperation between Congolese, Rwandans and Burundese  living side by side.
The contribution of the Church in the recent elections in Burundi and Rwanda was significant.
The Church in Burundi played a pivotal in ensuring transparency during the elections hence contribution to reduction of tensions in the country.
These processes of peaceful transfer of power in these countries make the Catholic Church and other faith based organisations formidable actors for social peaceful change and critical instruments of the emerging democratic culture in the region.
While the Government had an obligation to improve the welfare of citizens, it needed the efforts of all stakeholders, including the Church, to adequately meet the needs of the people, including strides to ensure peace was embraced by all residents of Zambia.
Even in the wake of political violence, the Church remains a cardinal stakeholder in ensuring that societies remain upbeat to prevent violent conflicts and sustain peaceful interactions among political players as well as communities.
After all, the Church in Zambia is one of the key pillars on which, the nascent democratisation process is rested and sustained and fortunately enough, President Lungu has roundly endorsed this as something that is beneficial to the welfare of society.
This is so because, as President Lungu puts it, Zambia cannot afford to lose the peace and stability which it had enjoyed over the years because of selfish political interests seeking political power.
He said peace before, during and after the elections was important if the nation was to record development.
The Church in Zambia has a bite to chew considering that society will rather go astray without the guidance of the Church especially in this era of turbulent politics.
It is evident that  God has assigned the Church to work with Government in fostering peace and the safety of the people, including through the provision of services and necessary support, for instance, to hospitals and special schools for the visually and hearing-impaired.
RCZ Synod Moderator Edwin Zulu said the Church has already assured the partnership with Government in the provision of health and education services, among several other interventions.
Professor Zulu said, “RCZ was working with the Government in providing food security and in the fight against human trafficking.
“The Church would continue to support the Government of the day and champion the cause of the poor and vulnerable people in communities,” the clergyman said.
Professor Zulu further assures that the Church was preaching peace, love and unity among its congregants, because Christians were called to be the light of the world.
The Patriotic Front (PF) administration, through its leadership, has now and again rightly so espoused that peacemaking remains a vital pillar in the role of the church in peace building.
The Bible in the book of Hebrews 12:14 says peace is not the absence of violence but the presence of justice.
Zambia needs to thrive on the tenets of justice for all! The Church, in all terms, needs to step up its agenda to help Government in fostering peace among the citizens of this country.
That is why all well-meaning Zambians, including the Church, have condemned the recent looting of shops owned by foreigners in Lusaka.
Perhaps, that is one simple reason the affected 200 foreigners sought shelter St Ignatius Catholic Church in Lusaka.
When visiting the over 200 former refugees, President Edgar Lungu apologised to foreign nationals displaced by the recent riots which broke out in reaction to ritual killings in Lusaka.
President Lungu said the incident was shameful and not Zambian.
To respond and call for peace in the wake of recent riots that erupted in Lusaka’s Zingalume and George townships where some people looted shops belonging to Rwandese nationals after word went round that some people found human body parts in one of the shops belonging to a Rwandese, the head of State was trumpeting the rhythms of peace.
And with the blessings of President Lungu, even after he apologised to the affected foreigners, Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila moved in to deploy, through a directive, the Zambia Police to end the violent attacks that saw shops belonging to foreign nationals looted.
•The author is Patriotic Front Copperbelt Information Committee Chairperson.