Archbishop asks Mugabe to end persecution of churches in Zimbabwe

The Archbishop of Canterbury has asked President Robert Mugabe to intervene over the harassment of Anglican churches in Zimbabwe.

Dr Williams met Mr Mugabe on Monday accompanied by the Archbishops of Central Africa, Southern Africa and Tanzania.

In a statement following the meeting, Dr Rowan Williams said a joint dossier had been presented to Mr Mugabe giving a “full account of the abuses to which our people and our church has been subject” over the last four years.

“We have asked, in the clearest possible terms, that the President use his powers as head of state to put an end to all unacceptable and illegal behaviour,” he said.

In the dossier, the Archbishops state that Anglican congregations have suffered “systematic harassment and persecution at the hands of the police, often in direct contravention of court rulings”.

The abuses cited include false imprisonment, violence, denial of access to churches, schools, clinics and mission stations, and the misappropriation of church property.

The Archbishops said it was a matter of “greatest sadness” that churches were being prevented from supporting needy communities with healthcare and education.

The institutions that have been taken from the church are now under “poor or corrupt management” and are “being rapidly run in to the ground and stripped of their assets”, they warned.

The dossier pins much of the blame on Dr Nolbert Kunonga, who was excommunicated in 2007 and has since attempted to establish his own Anglican Church in Zimbabwe.

“Every week tens of thousands of Anglicans are denied their basic right to worship because of the lies and falsifications being propagated by Dr Kunonga.”

The dossier addresses one of the grievances of Dr Kunonga and his supporters relating to the Anglican Church's attitude towards homosexuality.

“We also totally reject the misrepresentation of our church as not holding to the Church’s traditional teaching on marriage. This is wholly untrue,” the Archbishops said.

They appealed to Mr Mugabe to put an end to the harassment of churches by police.

“We are dismayed that our continued calls for justice go unheard. Meanwhile threats made to our personal freedoms and security have continued to multiply over the last few months.

“We respectfully ask you, as head of state and of the executive in Zimbabwe, put an end to this illegal harassment by some members of the police, whose mandate is to protect civilians, and allow us once again to use the properties which are rightfully ours so that we may worship God in peace and serve our communities and our country.”

The Archbishops asked Christians to continue praying for the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe.

“We are proud of our church and our people who have suffered so much, but who continue to serve with love and with hope,” they said.

“For our part we pray, and invite you to join us in praying, that the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe be allowed to carry out its mission in peace, and serve its communities with love.”