Church-State Relations in Malawi. The Roman Catholic Church as an Agent of Political Reform (From 1992 Until Present)
Church-State Relations in Malawi. The Roman Catholic Church as an Agent of Political Reform (From 1992 Until Present)

Summary/Abstract: History of the church in Malawi dates way back to the colonial times, when many missionaries arrived in the country with the aim of introducing Christianity. Since then, efforts have always been made by both the state and the church to build a good working relationship and to create an environment of peaceful co-existence. While this is the case, the relations have, in some cases, been sour. The church and state are often on a collision course following the former’s use of the pulpit to intrude in politics. The church has been accused of meddling in politics instead of leading “the flock” and the state often has argued that such an interference has led to civil wars in other parts of the world, including in Africa itself. Nonetheless, the church has not been swayed in its role of “speaking for the voiceless” taking a swipe at the government on the need to embark on political as well as on social reforms. The church, as the paper shows, argues that it is within its rights to comment on national issues and that the state does not have a right to “dictate” what the church should and should not do. The Catholic Church is used in this paper as an example of how a church’s influence can lead to a political reform. In March 1992, the Catholic bishops released a pastoral letter which was an open criticism of the Banda regime. The letter changed forever Malawi’s political landscape. While other factors might have contributed to the political reform in the country, this paper argues that without the Roman Catholic Church and the role it played, it is not certain whether such reforms would have happened at the time and in the manner they did. Hence, the Roman Catholic Church should be seen as an important agent in Malawi’s political reform.

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