Green Party leader, Peter Sinkamba, says Archbishop of Lusaka Dr Alick Banda and other Catholic leaders should not step down solely because of an arrest, arguing that doing so would validate the weaponisation of the justice system.
Sinkamba argued that Catholic leaders should avoid resigning because of state arrests, particularly in authoritarian or weak-rule-of-law contexts, as immediate resignation could undermine the Church’s prophetic mission and institutional independence.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, Sinkamba was commenting on growing calls for Archbishop Banda to resign following his arrest, after investigations that had been ongoing since 2022, with the matter expected to come before the Lusaka Subordinate Court.
Sinkamba said when political regimes use executive power, police apparatus and subverted judiciaries to target religious figures, stepping aside created significant institutional risks for both the Church and the State.
“Automatic resignation is tantamount to succumbing to political exploitation and weaponization of the justice system,” he said.
He said if Government knew that an arrest would automatically remove a vocal bishop or priest, criminal charges would become an easy mechanism to silence critical voices. He added that insisting on charges being proven in court would prevent trumped-up claims from altering Church governance.
“Ignoring calls for resignation preserves the prophetic voice of the Church,” Sinkamba said.
He said in many African countries, including Zambia, the Catholic Church acted as a crucial check on State power by speaking out against human rights abuses, corruption and constitutional subversion. Resigning upon arrest, he said, would send a message of retreat.
“Ignoring resignation calls protects canonical and due process norms,” Sinkamba said.
He said under Catholic Canon Law, Canon 401, Section 2, a bishop was urged to offer his resignation if ill health or another grave cause rendered him unsuitable for office. However, he argued that a state-sponsored arrest did not automatically constitute canonical incapacity, as the Holy See retained the authority to evaluate claims of persecution.
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“Standing firm upholds presumption of innocence and moral integrity,” Sinkamba said.
He said stepping down immediately could be interpreted by the public as an admission of guilt, damaging the reputation of both the individual leader and the wider ecclesiastical institution, while undermining its moral legitimacy in the face of arbitrary State power.
“When a Catholic leader faces criminal charges under questionable circumstances, the Church typically responds through structural measures rather than forcing a permanent resignation,” Sinkamba said.
Sinkamba said Archbishop Banda should, therefore, ignore calls for his resignation from some quarters, noting that those making such calls were exercising their freedom of speech, and allow the legal process to take its course.
He said Government should commence the trial if there was merit in its case, noting that Catholics were eager to see the trial begin rather than have the Archbishop resign after four years of investigations.
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