Prominent Zambian Evangelist Backs Milingo

A few days ago I blogged on ex-Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo’s first public mass since he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Milingo, it will be recalled, married a Korean Unificationist in 2001 and has now accepted Rev Moon as “the Messiah sent by God”. Recently he ordained several married men as priests, establishing a breakaway Catholic church to receive direction from Moon and the Unification Church.

The Catholic Church has urged its members to give Milingo a wide berth, but details about the mass in the Lusaka Times suggest that some other Christians are less bothered:

Hundreds of people from all walks of life – Sunday turned up for a healing mass conducted by former Catholic Archibishop Emmanuel Milingo in Lusaka’s Matero township.

Archibishop Milingo conducted the healing mass that lasted for over two hours.

Christians from different churches sung songs of praise as the Archibishop conducted his healing session.

…Every Nation Church Bishop, John Jere thanked Archibishop MILINGO for bringing transformation in the church.

“Every Nation” is the controversial neo-Pentecostal grouping which I blogged several times a couple of years ago; Jere has also featured on this blog in the past, as the Zambian link-man for Peter Hammond’s Frontline Fellowship. Jere’s “Zambia United Christian Action” helped to spread the political religious supremicist teachings of Christian Reconstructionism in the country. According to his website:

Bishop John Jere has planted many churches in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Angola. John is still planting more churches in Zambia under Every Nation Church. The recent two church plants in Lukulu is a greater challenge as the areas arein abject poverty.

Jere’s prefered means to challenging “abject poverty” is to promote free-market fundamentalism, and he has introduced Zambian ministers to Douglas J Shaw, a Scottish free-market economist. Jere is also noted for running an orphanage.

Also at the Milingo mass were a number of Anglican clerics, obliging Anglican bishops to make a statement:

Council General Secretary, Rodgers Banda said any priest who attended the healing sessions and mass did so in their personal capacity.

The Bishops were reacting to some of the Anglican priests who were seen on ZNBC television news during Archbishop Milingo’s healing sessions and mass Sunday.

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