Catholic Church of Zimbabwe Declares Support for Archbishop

As Zimbabweans continue to suffer from severe food shortages and an inflation rate of over 7,500%, one man has openly denounced the government for inflicting such a crisis upon its civilians. Archbishop Pius Ncube is one of very few who have taken a stand against President Robert Mugabe, calling for street protests and political intervention to force him from power. As a result, Mugabe has charged Ncube with having an affair with a married woman in his parish, hoping to tarnish the Archbishop’s name as a critic of the Zimbabwean government. Now, Ncube has the strength of nine Zimbabwean Catholic Bishops behind him.

After issuing an investigation into the allegations brought upon Ncube, Zimbabwe’s Bishops have decided in favor of Ncube. Their support was made public by taking out a full-page ad in the Herald newspaper, in which they said "for years, [Ncube] has courageously and with moral authority advocated social justice and political action to overcome the grievous crisis facing our country." They applauded the Archbishop for having “exposed the evils of the government” and are considering Mugabe’s allegations a shameless “assault on the Catholic Church.”

The President has warned the Bishops of the dangerous path of becoming too political. This is hardly surprising, though it shows that Mugabe is willing to use force to maintain his grip over the country’s economy and political structure. Zimbabwe’s Bishops have taken a bold step in backing Ncube, though it was the absolute right thing to do in light of the seemingly false allegations. Ncube must remain as public as possible if he is to succeed in blocking Mugabe; otherwise, the President is likely to use his growing power to silence such opposition.

Four out of five Zimbabweans remain unemployed and the country’s major bread producer has declared a limited supply of grain. South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki has resisted any involvement in ousting Mugabe from power, declaring it is “fundamentally wrong” to do so. Though Mbeki has come under intense criticism for his decision, he remains firm in his policy of “quiet diplomacy.” We can only pray that the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe succeeds in advocating for the rights of Zimbabweans. They have had the strength thus far to stand up against an oppressive government – let us hope that they remain unhindered in their efforts.