Anglican wrangle refuses to die
By Jarson Malowa:
Wrangles in the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Shire (Adus) are refusing to die as angry Christians have taken Bishop Brighton Vita Malasa to task for cancelling a synod meeting.
The synod meeting, which was scheduled for August 8 and 10 this year, is held once in two years.
In a letter dated July 27 2019, Malasa indicates that he has cancelled the meeting due to lack of funds, further indicating that the indaba would require up to K7 million.
The letter indicates that the meeting has been postponed to an unspecified date.
However, the decision to cancel the synod meeting has angered some Christians in the diocese.
Speaking at a press briefing held at St George Anglican Church in Zomba, chairperson of information for the petitioners, John Awadi, described the decision as political.
“We have noted that Malasa is using dirty tactics to avoid holding the synod meeting. We know he is avoiding it because he does not want to be held accountable,” Awadi said.
He said Malasa had no choice but to call for the meeting by September 30 this year.
“We will not accept his delaying tactics and maintain our demand that it should be held by September 30,” he added.
When we tried to contact Malasa, we could not reach him, with reports indicating that he was in Zambia.
Thirty-nine parishes out of 41 say they do not recognise Malasa as their leader.
Some Christians have been accusing Malasa of making unilateral decisions when transferring the clergy and recruiting staff.
Earlier, angry Christians deflated tyres of Archbishop Albert Chama of the Anglican Church’s Central Africa Province, who came to the country to address the problem.
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