Catholic Bishops Back Ncube, Attack Mugabe, by Lebo Nkatazo, New Zimbabwe, August 31, 2007

Catholic Bishops Back Ncube, Attack Mugabe

By Lebo Nkatazo
New Zimbabwe
August 31, 2007

Http://newzimbabwe.com/pages/roma43.16870.html

Zimbabwe's Catholic bishops on Friday united behind a statement offering support to the scandal-hit Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, and accused the government of violating human rights.

Archbishop Ncube, who is facing an £80 000 adultery lawsuit, has previously urged Zimbabweans to rise up and drive out President Robert Mugabe through street protests.

In a surprise intervention, the country's nine Catholic bishops took out a full page advert in the state-run Herald newspaper to announce their support for the embattled archbishop.

CAUGHT: Our exclusive picture shows the moment Mandiwanzira showed Ncube a video of his alleged sexual activities

"The crude attempts at diverting attention from these facts by intensifying the hate propaganda and character assassination against those Zimbabweans who, like archbishop Ncube, have spoken out in defence of the oppressed, has not deceived ordinary Zimbabweans. Quite the contrary," the bishops said.

"Archbishop Ncube has fearlessly exposed the evils of Gukurahundi massacres and of operation Murambatsvina. For years, he has courageously and with moral authority advocated social justice and political action to overcome the grievous crisis facing our country."

The bishops concluded: "We support him fully in his present painful personal situation and ask all our faithful to remember him in his prayers."

They added that the attacks on the archbishop by some politicians and the state media were outrageous.

President Robert Mugabe has previously accused the pastors of involving themselves in political and not spiritual matters.

After the bishops released a damning pastoral letter early this year, Mugabe later told Zanu PF supporters that they were talking "nonsense."

ACCUSER: Onesimus Sibanda claims Archbishop had two-year affair with his wife, Rosemary

"Once [the bishops] turn political, we regard them as no longer spiritual and our relations with them would be conducted as if we are dealing with political entities and this is quite a dangerous path they have chosen for themselves," Mugabe said.

However, in Thursday's statement the bishops again repeated their attack on the government.

"We repeat what we said in our recent pastoral letter: the people of Zimbabwe are suffering. Their freedom and fundamental rights are violated daily with impunity, the shelves of the shops and supermarkets are empty, our currency has become worthless, the public health service has collapsed, the country's main roads are lined with tens of thousands of citizens waiting for public transport, corruption is rampant and young people are risking their lives daily and in growing numbers to escape the catastrophe that our country has become."

Onesimus Sibanda is suing the Archbishop for $20 billion in a case thought to be driven by Zimbabwe's intelligence services – out to silence one of Mugabe's fiercest critics.

Secret cameras were planted in the Archbishop's bedroom, and video footage broadcast on national television allegedly showed the bishop getting into bed with up to 10 women – some of them alleged to be nuns.

Last Sunday, a South African newspaper – The Sunday World – said new footage had emerged showing the Archbishop in bed with young boys.

Ncube has not denied the adultery claims, but has signalled that he will defend a lawsuit brought by Sibanda.