Zimbabwean Archbishop, Pius Ncube, Resigns
”I
have not been silenced by the crude machinations of a wicked regime” said the
Bulawayo Archobishop, Pius Ncube. He
resigned from his duties as archbishop after adultery allegations by the Mugabe
regime in response to the long effort to get the later to put an end to its
abuses against Zimbabweans. The Church
has been a leading force in seeking social justice for Zimbabweans and she is
not defeated by the weapon of shame that Mugabe is using to silence her. For this reason, Archbishop Ncube uses what
he calls the “best course of action,” which is to face his accuser personally and
take upon himself the shame that Mugabe has brought upon the Catholic Church. "I remain a Catholic Bishop in Zimbabwe,
and will continue to speak out on the issues that sadly become more acute by
the day. I am committed to the Word of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and see my
decision as opening up new opportunities to serve Him …” Archbishop Ncube’s resignation is an act of
faith, courage and strength in the face a regime that continues to oppress its
own people. We express our concerns for
his life as he continues to confront this regime that has no respect of human
rights. Joining the voices of the
Bishops of Zimbabwe, today more than ever before, AFJN continues to support the
church of Zimbambwe
in its effort to bring about justice, peace and good governance by ending human
rights abuses, intimidation, corruption and persecution of the people of Zimbabwe. Full text of Archbishop Ncube's statement:
"Today the Vatican
will publicise their acceptance of an offer of resignation tendered to them by
myself in July. I wrote to the Pope within days of what was obviously a State
driven, vicious attack not just on myself, but by proxy on the Catholic Church
in Zimbabwe.
In order to spare my fellow Bishops and the body of the Church any further
attacks, I decided this was the best course of action.
"It has been necessary for me to wait for theVatican
"I know that there will be many of you who will be bitterly disappointed at my leaving my post as Archbishop of Bulawayo – and a few who will be delighted, seeing their mission as having been accomplished.
"To the many thousands of Catholics and ordinary Zimbabweans as well as those in the international community who have stood by me in my hour of need, who have offered their prayers and stood in solidarity with me, I thank you all from the depths of my heart.
"I remain a Catholic Bishop inZimbabwe
"I remain unshakably committed to theMission
"Recent events have brought me closer to God and have given me a clearer sense of mission. I have not been silenced by the crude machinations of a wicked regime. I am committed to promoting the social teachings of the Church, and to working among the poorest and most needy inZimbabwe
"I will use my experiences working among the people to lobby for greater humanitarian support, in particular for food and medical supplies at this time of extreme national crisis. I have various options available at the moment, both within the Church and within the civic movement, and will decide in the next few weeks which will provide the best platform to continue with God's work.
"My passion is to get closer to God through prayer and to preach the Gospel so that the people move away from selfishness to care for God and others, and to fight for human rights. "Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15)
"It has been necessary for me to wait for the
"I know that there will be many of you who will be bitterly disappointed at my leaving my post as Archbishop of Bulawayo – and a few who will be delighted, seeing their mission as having been accomplished.
"To the many thousands of Catholics and ordinary Zimbabweans as well as those in the international community who have stood by me in my hour of need, who have offered their prayers and stood in solidarity with me, I thank you all from the depths of my heart.
"I remain a Catholic Bishop in
"I remain unshakably committed to the
"Recent events have brought me closer to God and have given me a clearer sense of mission. I have not been silenced by the crude machinations of a wicked regime. I am committed to promoting the social teachings of the Church, and to working among the poorest and most needy in
"I will use my experiences working among the people to lobby for greater humanitarian support, in particular for food and medical supplies at this time of extreme national crisis. I have various options available at the moment, both within the Church and within the civic movement, and will decide in the next few weeks which will provide the best platform to continue with God's work.
"My passion is to get closer to God through prayer and to preach the Gospel so that the people move away from selfishness to care for God and others, and to fight for human rights. "Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15)
"May God bless and be with all of us."
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