Some 130 African priests have called for the reversal of an order to deport a Rwandan priest from Zambia after the government accused him of inciting violence in a sermon, reports Vatican Insider.Fr Viateur Banyangandora was deported ten days ago, accused of encouraging violence after a sermon in which he declared that the poor were getting poorer while the rich got richer.
The decision, made official by the Lusaka Ministry of Foreign Affairs, immediately sparked worries in the Vatican and among the local bishops.
"A Rwandese priest based at Lundazi parish identified as Father Viateur Banyangandora, aged 40, has been deported to his country of origin for violating the laws of this country," Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu said in a statement.
A parishioner from Lundazi, an eastern town near the border with Malawi, said that Fr Banyangandora, during the last Sunday service, had declared that poor people were becoming poorer while the rich were getting richer, a move which according to the priest was tantamount to injustice which the Catholic Church detests.