Monrovia, May 31 -- THE LIBERIA Council of Churches (LCC), once a noble custodian of the nation's conscience, has brought shame upon itself. In choosing to bestow its prestigious "Statesmanship Award" on House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon - a figure widely criticized for his role in undermining Liberia's constitutional order - the Council has not only lost credibility but has also abdicated its sacred responsibility to speak truth to power.

THIS DECISION, announced during the LCC's 35th General Assembly, was framed as a recognition of Speaker Koon's contributions to "peacebuilding, unity, and governance reforms." But to many Liberians, it represents something far more troubling that the church's willing entanglement with partisan politics ...