| Abstrakt: |
The 2017/18 Cholera epidemic sparked religious conversations that had not yet received scholarly engagement. Informed by the Catholic social theory, the article explored the Catholic Church's positionality in the face of an epidemic. The article's objectives were twofold: firstly, to describe the actions of the Catholic Church during the 2017/18 Cholera outbreak, and secondly, to understand the interconnectedness between public health and religion in contemporary Zambia, using the Catholic Church as an example. A descriptive case study design was employed to collect data through interviews (selected priests and parishioners), document review, and observations, which was inductively analysed (supplemented by social theory). The Church's role emanated from the Ministry of Health's and Local Government's calls for stakeholders' interventions. The Church responded by cancelling and shortening some services, programmes and rites. The Church also provided public health education and implemented safety measures. It was concluded that Cholera was not only a public health issue but also a social justice issue, and hence, the Church called for lasting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
