SUNDAY MAIL
01/19/03
Cracks emerge within Catholic Church
>From Bulawayo Bureau
CRACKS are emerging within the Roman Catholic Church in Zimbabwe along
political
lines as the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference resists pressure from
the clergy of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo to join Archbishop Pius Ncube in
his
anti-Govern-ment crusade.
The clergy of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo, which is led by Archbishop
Ncube,
published a statement in opposition Daily News and Zimbabwe Independent
newspapers last week, in support of Archbishop Ncube's anti-Government and
anti-President Mugabe campaign.
The statement, which sounds more like a political manifesto than a
document
written by church ministers, describes Archbishop Ncube as a champion of
justice
for the marginalised in the society. It was drafted after the annual
meeting of
the Diocese of Bulawayo in December last year, a month after the Zimbabwe
Catholic Bishops' Conference had distanced itself from what the Government
described as Archbishop Pius Ncube's "lies".
The Bulawayo clergyman had been quoted in a British Broadcasting
Corporation
programme, Focus on Africa, as claiming that 160 people from Matabeleland
had
starved because of what Archbishop Pius Ncube alleged to be the
Government's policy of discrimination against MDC members when
distributing food aid.
The Government responded to the archbishop's claims by describing them as
"outrageous" and pointed out that the clergyman must step down for
telling the world a "dangerous lie".
Statistics on maize distribution by the Grain Marketing Board also proved
that
Archbishop Ncube's claims of political interference in the distribution of
food aid were untrue.
Ironically, two weeks later, some officials working under the Catholic
Development Commission's Drought Relief Department warehouses in
Bulawayo's industrial suburbs revealed to The Sunday News that there was
rampant looting of food, particularly mealie-meal and other foodstuffs
meant for
people facing starvation in Matabeleland.
However, in the statement published in opposition Daily News and Zimbabwe
Independent newspapers last week, the clergy of the Archdiocese of
Bulawayo
threw their weight behind Archbishop Ncube, ostensibly for peddling lies
against
the Government and attacked the Catholic Bishops' Conference for
reportedly not joining in the anti-Government and anti-Mugabe crusade.
"We congratulate Archbishop Pius Ncube for his determination to speak out
the
truth, the reality which is known to all loyal Zimbabweans, which is
spoken of
in our homes and in the food queues but which the normal (sic) citizen
fears to
say in public.
"We condemn those who harass, who attack, who plan evil against the
archbishop.
We condemn those who attempt to silence his voice," reads a section
of the statement by the clergy of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo.
Archbishop Ncube was for some time embroiled in a bitter row with the
Government
over his attempts to block the State from upgrading a Roman Catholic
Church
hospital, St Luke's, in Lupane.
The clergyman relented recently when the Government announced that it
would
build a provincial hospital in Lupane.
He has taken a clear side in support of the opposition MDC against
President
Mugabe and Zanu-PF.
Archbishop Ncube is said to have even taken his anti-Government tirades,
which
feature prominently in the pages of newspapers of the opposition Press, to
the
pulpit, resulting in scores of church followers boycotting his sermons.
The Bulawayo clergy apparently believe that Archbishop Ncube has remained
a lone
voice in the wilderness in his vilification of President Mugabe as other
Roman
Catholic Church leaders in the country have reportedly decided to remain
apolitical.
The statement suggests that the support Archbishop Pius Ncube has received
in
his fight against the Government has been from "other local
churches" and "bishops of neighbouring countries".
"There is no place for neutrality in the face of the evil which is
destroying
our nation. Time has run out for compromise with an evil regime. Attempts
to use
personal influence and persuasion have only allowed a corrupt system to
consolidate its power," reads another section of the statement.
It added: "We therefore now call upon the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops'
Conference and its secretary-general to come out publicly with a clear and
honest voice on behalf of the voiceless as their predecessors did during
the
liberation struggle."
However, in an interview on the statement on Friday, the Zimbabwe Catholic
Bishops' Conference secretary for communications, Father Walter Nyatsanza,
stressed that although church leaders are free to write pastoral letters
condemning whatever injustice perpetrated by any individual, organisation
or
institution, they are supposed to be non-partisan.
"I believe we (church leaders) are reconcilers. We bring people together
and
therefore should not take sides.
"Of course, we study issues and condemn what is wrong and the bishops'
conference has written pastoral letters urging people of Zimbabwe to work
together to find a lasting solution to the problems in the
country," he said.
The ZCBC is an authoritative decision-making Roman Catholic Church body
that
deliberates on crucial national issues affecting dioceses and is composed
of
three retired and nine active bishops.
Fr Nyatsanza said that in its pastoral letters, some of which have been
publicised in the media, the conference has always implored Zimbabweans to
unite
and have tolerance of each other's views.
"It does not help anybody to talk of divisions. We are one people.
"Church leaders should remain apolitical. By that I do not mean that they
should
not criticise politicians, but that they should be above party politics.
They
should not be affiliated to a particular political party.
"They should strive to help people to work together," he said.
In one of its pastoral letters in September last year, for instance, the
ZCBC
criticised economic saboteurs who hoard basic commodities in order to
create
artificial shortages.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ivinicus factus sum veritabem diceus." ( I have become an enemy for
speaking the truth ) St Paul!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mitayo Potosi
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