Africa-Press – Zambia. It has been 79 days since Zambia lost its sixth Republican President, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on June 5, 2025. And yet, the nation remains suspended in a state of emotional limbo, neither fully grieving nor healing, as the burial of the late Head of State hangs in a haze of legal and procedural uncertainty.
For the Lungu family, especially former First Lady Esther Lungu, the days since June 5 have been an unimaginable stretch of sorrow. The absence of closure has compounded their grief, turning mourning into a marathon of misery.
The silence of the grave has not yet been granted, and the dignity of farewell remains elusive.
This week, a voice of reason emerged from the pulpit.
The Three Church Mother Bodies—the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB)—issued a joint statement that struck a chord of compassion and clarity.
“We urge both Government and the family of Dr. Lungu to commence immediate and sincere discussions aimed at resolving the current impasse surrounding his burial,” the statement read.
“Let it be conducted in an atmosphere of peace, unity, and respect.”
Signed by Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Y. Chikoya (CCZ), Bishop Andrew Mwenda (EFZ), and Rev. Fr. Francis Mukosa (ZCCB), the statement is not just a plea—it is a pastoral intervention. It reminds us that Zambia, a Christian nation, must not allow political noise to drown out the sacredness of grief.
The Church has long been a balm in Zambia’s bruised moments. It was the clergy who helped shepherd the nation through the tense transitions of the 1990s.
It was the Church that stood firm during electoral disputes, calling for peace.
And it was President Edgar Lungu himself who institutionalized the National Day of Prayer on October 18—a legacy of spiritual unity that must now be honoured in his passing.
This is not the time for partisan posturing. It is the time to lay down political arms and pick up the tools of reconciliation.
The wishes of the Lungu family must be respected. Zambia must find closure. Not just for the Lungu family alone, but for the soul of the nation. Let Edgar Lungu rest.
We thank the Church for its timely voice and urge other influential institutions—civil society, traditional leaders, and media houses—to emulate this example. Let us speak not to divide, but to heal.
In the end, we are all children of One Zambia, One Nation. And in death, as in life, dignity must prevail.
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