THE Anglican Council of Zambia (ACZ) has appealed to Zambians to scrutinise political leaders aspiring for the Republican presidency so that people with questionable backgrounds do not occupy the highest office of the land.

ACZ presiding Bishop Robert Mumbi said the people of Zambia and the Church should screen politicians and ensure that they elect morally upright people as president.

Bishop Mumbi said the Church did not ordain people with questionable morals as clerics and that should also apply to politicians aspiring for national leadership.

He said issues of morality were for Zambians to decide, based on the country's values, and that, just like in the Church, the citizens should give specific guidelines on the moral requirements for public office.

"The Church requires that those that are ordained as clergy are morally upright, with one wife, sound mind and various other requirements, and they are offered to the public for scrutiny," he said.

Bishop Mumbi said Zambians should similarly decide the calibre of people to lead the country.

He said if possible, matters of morality should be contained in the Republican Constitution, although not as a way to bar some individuals from holding higher political offices.

"Paul in the Bible says that the goodness of the law is that it shows our weaknesses and if our weakness as a people is the lack of good morals, then we should consider putting up laws that will address this weakness," he said.

He said by carefully scrutinising leaders who were looking to be elected to public office, Zambians would be helping to promote morality in the country.

Meanwhile, the Church has urged the Anglican community to push for ordination of female clergy.

Bishop Mumbi said it was important that the calls came from the lay people in the church and that the upcoming meeting of diocese in the Central African Province in August was likely to table the matter.

Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation has challenged the Roman Catholic Church to explain its doctrine of taking Holy Communion by its members suspected to have more than one wife or having known extramarital relationships .

The Authentic Advocates for Justice and Democracy (AAJD) has accused the Catholic Church of playing double standards in the manner it was addressing issues concerning its members.

AAJD general secretary Laiford Mwanza and his publicity secretary, Josephat Changwe said in a statement yesterday that it was questionable as to why the church had not responded to allegations that second Republican president Frederick Chiluba raised during his Press briefing a fortnight ago concerning some of its members who were receiving the Holy Sacrament when actually they had allegedly fathered children out of wedlock.

Mr Mwanza said two years ago, Dr Chiluba mistakenly received the Holy Communion in the Catholic Church and the Church leadership came out strongly to condemn him.

"Why are they now quiet about the revelations Dr Chiluba made at his Press briefing," he asked.

The AAJD also accused the Catholic Church of being politically driven and always wanting to attack the Government without justification.

Mr Mwanza and Mr Changwe said it was surprising that out of the many churches in Zambia, the Catholic Church was the only one that seemed more politically inclined and always confrontational to the Government.

They have since appealed to Government to consider making an official complaint to the Catholic Church motherbody in Italy against the alleged political conduct by most of its priests in Zambia.

However, Zambia Episcopal Conference spokesperson, Father Paul Samasumo said most concerns raised by the AAJD would be addressed by the Catholic Church at its Press conference today.