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	Pope Accepts Zimbabwean Prelate's Resignation Archbishop Says Attack against Him Affects Church Zenit September 11, 2007 http://zenit.org/article-20478?l=english Vatican City, Sept. 11, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Archbishop Pius Ncube, an outspoken critic of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Archbishop Ncube of Bulawayo, 60, said in a press statement issued today that the Vatican accepted a request he made in July to leave office, the Catholic Information Service of Africa reported. The resignation follows allegations publicized by state-run media that the archbishop had an adulterous affair. Archbishop Ncube denies the allegations, but the case is in the High Court in Bulawayo. The archbishop said he made the decision to resign as a result of "a state-driven, vicious attack not just on myself, but by proxy on the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe." "In order to spare my fellow bishops and the body of the Church any further attacks, I decided this was the best course of action," he said. "I will use my experiences working among the people to lobby for greater humanitarian support, in particular for food and medical supplies at this time of extreme national crisis." Archbishop Ncube continued: "I have various options available at the moment, both within the Church and within the civic movement, and will decide in the next few weeks which will provide the best platform to continue with God's work. "My passion is to get closer to God through prayer and to preach the Gospel so that the people move away from selfishness to care for God and others, and to fight for human rights." In a recent statement, the bishops of Zimbabwe called the adultery accusation "outrageous," and said that "intensifying the hate propaganda and character assassination against those Zimbabweans who, like Archbishop Ncube, have spoken out in defense of the oppressed, has not deceived ordinary Zimbabweans. Quite the contrary."
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