Zambia has revoked the deportation of a Roman Catholic priest who has been critical of President Michael Sata’s government.
The Reverend Viateur Banyangadora, a Rwandese priest, was deported in
August after he reportedly delivered a sermon in which he said the “poor
were becoming poorer, while the rich were becoming richer.”
But, Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu said the government revoked the
deportation order following consultations with the Church, which had a
role in last year‘s election of Sata, a Catholic.
“After the decision was made, we received a number of petitions from a
cross section of our people, from the church, from [across] the
political spectrum. So, after considering the various submissions, we
found it necessary to reverse our decision in the name of the love of
Christ that we subscribe to as Christians,” he said.
Lungu said Banyangadora’s deportation was not based solely on the fact
that he might have preached a sermon, but rather his overall conduct was
found to be unwelcome.
“You see, we have a mechanism for monitoring people, for seeing what
people are doing and saying and also for attending church. So, we did
not, at any one time, say we are going to kick him out of the country
for preaching. But, we said his conduct overall was found to be
inimical to his continued stay in the country,” Lungu said.
Civil society groups and the Catholic Church criticized the deportation saying it was done without due process
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