[ACNS, by Gavin Drake] The vice president of Zambia will be the guest of honour at an ecumenical prayer service for prisoners and inmates in Lusaka’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross next week. The event, which has been organised by Christian leaders across the denominations, will mark the launch in Zambia of the “Nelson Mandela Rules” – a UN-promoted standard set of minimum rights for prisoners.
In addition to the vice president, the service will also be attended by officials from Zambia’s correctional service and church leaders from across the denominations.
“The purpose of the service is to raise awareness, pray and call for action for inmates and mobilise the Church and community to participate in the holistic rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders and ex-offenders back into society,” Father Emmanuel Chikoya, the cathedral’s Resident City Canon, said.
The service, at 2pm CAT (Midday, GMT) on Sunday 17 July, will come at the end of a week of prayer and action for inmates and ex-offenders, which will run from 10 July.
The week of prayer and action will be launched tomorrow (Saturday) by Zambia’s Minister of Home Affairs, and will focus on women in prison, with the theme “Empowering women is empowering families and communities”