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Writing in the latest edition of Catholic Church News, a magazine published by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC), Archbishop Ncube said the church must not condone injustice and should be willing to make itself unpopular by challenging unjust structures.

Many Zimbabweans believe that churches and related organizations have failed to challenge the policies and practices of the government, led by President Robert Mugabe. But Archbishop Ncube has frequently criticized the Mugabe government. His latest statement is a thinly veiled criticism of the political troubles in this southern African nation.

Since February last year, Zimbabwe has experienced many serious outbreaks of violence, much of it led by supporters of President Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF and by people claiming to be veterans of Zimbabwe's struggle for independence in the 1970s. The violence has been directed at white farmers, white-owned companies and supporters of the mainly black opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

At least 30 people have been killed in the violence. The government, which is expropriating white-owned farms to settle landless blacks under a land redistribution program, has been accused of condoning the violence.

"When the church is afraid of criticizing social injustices, it risks God's reprimand and punishment because it is compromising God's standard and God's Word," Archbishop Ncube said. "The church risks loss of public confidence if it backs a government which is unjust and engages in violence."

Previous statements by Archbishop Ncube have prompted criticisms that he was dabbling in politics. He has reportedly been hounded by Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) for his remarks. Last year the archbishop was told he could not conduct a memorial service for the late vice-president, Joshua Nkomo. President Mugabe had apparently threatened to boycott the event if Ncube was to conduct it.

Archbishop Ncube is among the seven Catholic bishops who two weeks ago issued a pastoral letter criticising the Mugabe government's use of violence and its willingness to turn a blind eye to the illegal activities of the war veterans.

Archbishop Ncube's comments in Catholic Church News contrasted strongly with remarks by the new Anglican Bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga, who recently declared his enthusiastic support for the land reform program. The Anglican bishop criticized Western governments for interfering in the affairs of African nations. Many Western nations, particularly Britain, have criticized human rights violations in Zimbabwe over the past year.

"There are churches which back the government, and those which are critical," Ncube told Ecumenical News International. "We are trying to work as peacefully as possible, and we should try to steer a middle course. I believe we should be critical, but if we become too critical, the government might end up not listening to us. So we want to be neutral so that as the church we can be able to mediate."

Copyright © 2001 ENI.

Ncbue wrote a similar article on standing against injustice in Harare's Financial Gazette newspaper last year.

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June (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45