Catholic priests have been ordered not to take sides or favor any candidate or political party.
According to a pastoral letter titled ‘Who will roll away the stone for Us’ and signed by Catholic Bishops in the country, any such action on the part of priests using church structures for political purpose will not be tolerated.
Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, the Bishops said; “The Catholic Church makes its primary contribution to the political and social order by teaching the faith, forming its own members in the practice of all the virtues, and by offering to both Catholics and non-Catholics an education in the principles of Catholic Social teaching: namely, the dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity.
“With the guidance of these principles and other teachings, it is the God given duty of all Christians, in accordance with their abilities and opportunities, to work for the benefit of the temporal society in which they live. The clergy and the laity, of course, have different roles to play.”
As the move towards the General Elections in September, the Church has requested all Catholics and people of good will to maintain peace in the country during the campaign period, voting day, vote counting days and after the results are announced.
We urge those vying for various political positions to make sure that they conduct themselves in ways that don’t provoke violence especially during the campaign period. We ask all law enforcement agents, especially the Malawi Police Service, to refrain from being used in favor of a particular political party against another political party. Instead, they should ensure a level playing field for all political parties as well as individual candidates.
“We call upon MEC to ensure that the entire election process builds confidence in the general public regarding the elections. Finally, we call upon the Speaker of Parliament to ensure that the Parliament remains a house of representatives of all Malawians.
“As such, it should be strongly guarded against being captured by a particular political party or grouping against legitimate aspirations of other politicians which is not only a great obstacle to having peaceful elections but also a very clear way of creating dictatorships. Malawians have no interest or desire, whatsoever, to go back to the dark and cruel days of the one-party system of government.
“We need to plead with our Lord Jesus Christ for our nation as we move towards the General Elections. We ask all Catholics and people of good will to pray for our country: for present leaders, for peaceful General Elections, and for leaders to be elected on 16 September 2025.
“On our own we cannot get good and transformative political leaders. And on their own our political leaders, like any other human being, cannot achieve much in transforming our country,” reads the letter in part
