Mugabe Responds
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has responded to the pastoral letter issued by the nation’s Catholic bishops. The letter called on Mugabe to end oppression in the country and allow for democratic reform. It also warned that violent confrontation and deepening economic crisis were pushing the nation close to the breaking point.
Mugabe had initially remained silent about the letter, but responded this week in an interview published in the state-controlled media:
“The bishops have decided to turn political. And once they turn political, we regard them as no longer being spiritual,” Mugabe said of the letter in extracts of an interview published in the state Herald newspaper on Friday.
“Our relations with them would be conducted as political entities, and this is quite a dangerous path they have chosen for themselves,” Mugabe was quoted as saying.
Bully.
Worse than that – the situation there is horible nad continuing to deteriorate further. Could martyrdom be on the horizon there?
Archbishop Pius Ncube seems quite admirable. “One recent Saturday, he flipped it open (the bible) and he found Luke 4:16. “Free the oppressed,” he read aloud. “This is our calling.”
This is very heartening. Someone who places God over his own safety and well being. A leader indeed.
There were opposing bishops who have opposed Ncube. Wonderfully, many of them are rallying with him.
Inspiring indeed.
Archbishop Ncube responded yesterday with courage to Mugabe’s latest threat:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6629215.stm
The Archbishop and all the people of Zimbabwe need our prayers.
BBC reports the past few days indicate that id possible, things are worse , starvation ,inflation at 2000% plus and growing and the silence in our US leadership is deafening.