Eswatini Unrest: Bishop Calls for Dialogue

by Admin · July 2, 2021

Bishop José Luís Ponce de León, who heads Eswatini’s only diocese, Manzini. (Photo: Fr Paul Tatu CSS)

The Catholic Church in Eswatini has echoed a call by the Council of Swaziland Churches for calm and dialogue in the midst of pro-democracy protests in the country which started on June 20.

The protests in Africa’s last absolute monarchy saw burning of shops and looting, with businesses suspected to be owned by King Mswati III especially targeted. Mswati, who has reigned since 1986 and has been criticised for his ostentatiously lavish lifestyle in the widely impoverished country, has fled to South Africa. The government has blocked Internet access throughout the country.

On Wednesday, the Swaziland Youth Congress claimed that at least 21 people had been killed by state security forces during the protests.

“As I have stated in the past, fighting fire with fire will bring our country to ashes,” said Bishop José Luis Ponce de León of Manzini, the country’s only Catholic bishop.

“The restoration of calm should not make us think that the reasons behind the unrest have been addressed. An all-inclusive and open dialogue without excluding any stakeholder is the only possible way forward,” Bishop Ponce de León said in a statement on July 2.

He quoted Pope Francis “Authentic social dialogue involves the ability to respect the other’s point of view and to admit that it may include legitimate convictions and concerns” (Fratelli tutti, 203).

The bishop called for the restoration of the cut Internet services in the country, “without which we depend on the information being offered by foreign media and not by our own people”.

Restored Internet access “will also allow Churches, NGOs, political organisations and other bodies to share their own calls for calm and dialogue. The Churches will also be able to provide essential spiritual support in this time of crisis,” Bishop Ponce de León said.

“We continue to pray to the Father in Jesus’ name that the Holy Spirit pour on all of us the gift of wisdom to know God’s will and the gift of courage to take the necessary steps to achieve it,” the bishop concluded.