PENTECOSTAL Fellowships Tanzania (PPFT) clerics have urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to take legal action against Bishop Josephat Gwa...
PENTECOSTAL Fellowships Tanzania (PPFT) clerics have urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to take legal action against Bishop Josephat Gwajima of the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church following his seditious statements he made recently.
Chairman of PPFT Bishop Pius Ikongo, made the remarks here on Saturday at his office in Mwanga district, Kilimanjaro Region, where he said that Bishop Gwajima has been telling lies to the public. He said: “I call upon the Ministry of Home Affairs to take immediate action against him for his seditious statements which may lead to a breach of peace.
“We as clerics of the Pentecostal churches in Tanzania have taken seriously the statements made by Gwajima because such statement may have negative impacts in the future,” Bishop Ikongo said. He noted that Gwajima was not the spokesperson of all Christians.
“Even our Muslim brothers, political parties as well as the general public have their spokespersons. Who then has given Bishop Gwajima authority to speak for other Christians?” he queried.
He noted that during the general meeting held in Dodoma between June 1 and 3 this year, the Council withdrew the membership of Bishop Gwajima because he has been using religion as a political platform.
“We have been ignored words like these from Gwajima and events that point to bring chaos in the country where in the past we have witnessed a phrase such as transferring thoughts to people to make them commit suicide for religious reasons. We have also observed shelling with stones worship houses and utterances that mislead believers,” said Bishop Ikongo.
He urged all Tanzanians especially Gwajima believers to do what they could to prevent a bishop or a pastor to use the altar or the pulpit for making political utterances in the church doing so is not acceptable.
Church registration rules forbid such comments and stance which use a church as a political forum. Gwajima, they said, has therefore violated that law and the ministry a legal action against him immediately, they said
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