…CCJP lauded for taking the lead
Kimberly Kusauka
MASVINGO- As crime rate soars in the province; the church has been urged to be on the forefront to expose criminal activities that have been on the rise in recent months.
This came out during a stakeholder engagement meeting facilitated by Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJP) held on Sunday 30, 2021.
The engagement was in response to socio-economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that has disturbed peace in communities and propelled crime.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) representative at the meeting, Superintendent Vhulindela Jamela said the church should not be accessories to crime by hiding criminal activities.
“We encourage church leaders to expose criminals even when they are from your congregation and stop sweeping crimes under the carpet because when the matter comes to light, we will arrest all participants involved,” said Jamela.
CCJP National Coordinator Paul Muchena said the church was facilitating programmes aimed at promoting peace and stability in many communities across the country.
“As Catholics we are working together with government in maintaining peace and justice through our social teachings.
“We have programs that target to strengthen the church’s role in civil participation and they are coming from national level down to every society,” said Muchena.
Chief Gutu born Edmund Masanganise also applauded CCJP for being key in peace building and offering a platform for people to come together and develop their communities.
“The engagements carried out by CCJP are fruitful since a lot of stakeholders bring up ideas on how to build peace within communities,” said Masanganise.
CCJP is currently working on a project called Churches Convergence on Conflict and Peace (CCOP) in conjunction with Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), Ecumenical Church Leaders Forum (ECLF) and Zimbabwe Divine Destiny (ZDD) targeting implementation of peace building projects in the country.
Also present at the meeting were representatives, from Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) and Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ).
