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Against the backdrop of the imminent and much-anticipated court ruling on the presidential election petition in Malawi set for Monday, February 3, Catholic Bishops in the Southeast African country have called on Malawians to understand and appreciate the value of “maintaining peace and order.”
Following months of post-elections unrest in the Southeast African nation of Malawi and a court hearing expected Friday, December 6 on an election petition challenging the May 21 poll, Catholic Bishops in the country have called on the estimated 16.8 million Malawians to accept the court ruling or challenge such outcome through “peaceful and constitutional mechanisms” even though the final verdict is expected in February 2020.
In a country where people living with albinism face persistent threats of being killed for their body parts, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has launched a two-year campaign to raise awareness throughout the country about the rights of people with albinism and their rights, CCJP National Coordinator has told ACI Africa.
The Catholic Church in Malawi is set to launch the year of the Bible at the beginning of the Advent Season, Sunday, December 1, a pastoral initiative aimed at encouraging Catholics in the southeastern Africa country to intensely reflect on the word of God throughout the year 2019-2020, a Malawian Prelate told ACI Africa.
The March 2018 unexpected decision by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and main leader of opposition coalition Raila Odinga to put their differences aside and unite through a “Handshake” that restored peace in the East African nation after months of divisive post-elections politics has inspired religious leaders in Malawi.
Nearly five months after the general elections in Malawi, the Catholic Church is seeking divine intervention for peace following divisions and unrest occasioned by the disputed May 21 presidential election results in which the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declared Peter Mutharika the winner.
The appointment of the Apostolic Nuncio in Malawi and Zambia to represent the Vatican at the free trade area consisting twenty-one member states within Eastern and Southern Africa has been interpreted as the Holy See’s commitment to the affairs of the African continent, the Nuncio, Archbishop Gianfranco Gallone has explained.