Powell lauds role of Zimbabwe archbishop

Christian Century, June 14, 2003

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has praised outspoken Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, for his role in the campaign for human rights and the restoration of the rule of law in the southern African nation.

Powell held talks with Ncube at the State Department's Washington offices prior to the Memorial Day weekend. Powell requested the meeting to seek Ncube's views on the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe and that country's political, economic, humanitarian and human rights crises, said Richard Boucher, a spokesman for the State Department. Earlier, Ncube was quoted in the Washington Times as saying Zimbabwe's economic and social crisis had become "unbearable" under President Robert Mugabe. "Things in our country can hardly get worse."

The heads of Zimbabwe's main Christian associations recently appealed to all churches and Christians there to unite "in seeking the face of God through prayer and fasting, persistently asking our Father to heal our land." The appeal was issued by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) and the heads of Christian denominations.

They called for a spirit of tolerance and reconciliation and an end to politically motivated violence, amid continuing reports of government-backed violations of human rights. In a separate statement, the ZCC sharply criticized corruption, restrictions on press freedom, and the politicization of food aid, the Daily News reported in Harare, the capital. The ZCC, whose members include Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran and independent churches, said it was now geared up to speak out on behalf of the voiceless in society.

Leading Christians have hailed recent efforts by the leaders of three African countries to broker a solution to the crisis besetting the southern African country. The presidents of South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi visited Zimbabwe in early May for separate talks with Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).