Posted on 06/21/2006 4:03:40 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
President Robert Mugabe has lured most of Zimbabwe's Christian churches into a new political alliance, side-lining prominent church critics.
The new line-up of Christian leaders beside Mr Mugabe will be in evidence on Sunday, when he leads a national day of prayer at the Harare showgrounds.
According to Mr Mugabe's critics, he has managed the same coup with his church critics as he achieved with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which has split into two impotent rival factions.
Mr Mugabe's triumph with the largely evangelical Christian community comes a week before he is due to meet the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, in the Gambia for talks on the future of his troubled nation.
Mr Mugabe's strongest Christian critic, the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, has accused some churchmen of being "hypocrites". He said: "These priests call themselves Christians but align themselves with the evil that Mugabe does. I am in favour of a boycott of this prayer service."
John Makumbe, a political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe, said: "This is a coup for Mugabe. He has busted the church leadership into two, just as he busted the opposition, the MDC.
"Mugabe will use anything, including priests, to try to clean himself of his own filth."
Mr Makumbe said the national day of prayer was designed to give the impression that some churches were "trying to do something" to resolve the crisis. "Mugabe is having a laugh at their expense," he added.
Sunday's non-denominational prayer day will be part of a massive show of Christian reconciliation. The church groups that will attend held four hours of talks with Mr Mugabe on May 25, and pledged further co-operation to help end Zimbabwe's economic crisis and isolation.
Most of the funds for the non-denominational prayer day, including buses to ferry the huge crowds, will be provided by the government and the ruling Zanu PF party.
Bishop Trevor Manhanga, a member of a three-man pro-democracy group, the Ecumenical Peace Initiative, said yesterday that he would go to the Sunday meeting.
The group used to be seen as an anti-Mugabe force. He defended his decision to meet Mr Mugabe and attend the day of prayer.
"I represent 130 church denominations and they all want me to help find a solution," Bishop Manhanga said. "We were invited to meet the president, so we went.
"This is not cosying up to the government. We are trying to have an honest interaction looking for a solution."
Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, the head of Zimbabwe's largest Anglican diocese, is the most prominent mainstream churchman to support Mr Mugabe.
He has been rewarded with what was a productive white-owned farm on the outskirts of Harare. The property is now derelict.
I'm reminded of Salem's Lot, Cincy. The scene where the town priest doesn't have a faith strong enough, to resist evil? We can only hope Bishop Kunonga's hand is similarly seared, when he next opens the church doors.
Covenant with Hell
30 Pieces of Silver...?
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