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	Aldulterous Pastor: Press Conference Called By Fanyana Mabuza Weekend Observer June 27, 2009 http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=5338 Silence can be golden, but at times silence can mean consent and it is for this reason that the Swaziland Conference of Churches is calling for a press conference slated for Monday, where they want to put into perspective the issue of a prominent Manzini pastor who is allegedly entangled in a love triangle that involves another man’s wife. The Conference of Churches, in a statement, explained that the press conference would not be a witch hunt, but was aimed at correcting some perceptions that may have been created in the minds of many people after they read the story that was carried by this publication last weekend. Of utmost importance, is their wish to allay fears that were created, when this publication, due to ethical constraints, could not disclose the name of the pastor nor the church, save to say that he was prominent and from Manzini. In the statement, the conference mentioned that they felt that the non-disclosure of the pastor’s name was wide sweeping and putting a lot of the men of the cloth into an unnecessary spotlight. “We know we have our bad eggs and we are not condoning their wayward acts. As a group, we want to explain things to the public and inform them that whatever these pastors were doing was not the mandate of the church in general. The fact that the pastor was not named put all of us into the spotlight and it is for these reasons that we are calling for this press conference,” the statement read. It continued that such shenanigans have been going on in a number of churches, not necessarily affiliated to the Conference of Churches: “and it is our duty to lay clear our position over such matters.” The conference is currently working on strategies to separate the chaff from the grain and part of the strategy is to rein them in and not to disparage them. Among the things they are hoping to do is to establish a national regulatory body that will handle such issues and mete the necessary corrective measures before the whole name of the church is dragged in the murk. “For example, we have to know one another and to establish how one got into pastorship and Christology. Without such a body, even innocent men of the cloth will find themselves slurred by the actions of a few individuals whose claim to the leadership of the Lord’s flock was in doubt. We have to know each other’s spiritual fathers so that those found to be sheep in wolves’ skins can be bared for all to see while being reported to their spiritual fathers for corrective action, and not hide in newspaper’s ethical standards, which are against the disclosure of names, which works well for them thus promoting their unbecoming conduct.” It stressed that this is not a witch hunt but means to keep the name of the church without blemish that may have been caused by one reckless individual. It also stressed that they do not doubt the story nor did they condone the non-disclosure, saying had the identity been laid bare, at least the name of the church would have remained untarnished. “Right now, the public is still wondering as to who is the shepherd who is feeding on his flock, and with a regulatory body, he could have been identified and his background investigated to ascertain that he fell into temptation or was just a religious impostor as it seemed was the case nowadays. “It is of concern that some men of the cloth are making national headlines for all the wrong reasons, and we should initiate a purge of some sort so as to sustain the confidence worshippers have for their spiritual leaders. The press conference is slated for the Tums George Hotel on Monday at exactly 10a.m.
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