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	'Love Nest' Photos Fell Mugabe Critic Archbishop Faces Sex Scandal Ottawa Citizen September 12, 2007 http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=fbf688cd-77e9-4af4-bc9b-c68bc194f67d Johannesburg, South Africa - A secret camera planted in the bedroom of Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube has felled President Robert Mugabe's most prominent and outspoken critic. The Vatican announced yesterday that it had accepted Archbishop Ncube's resignation from his leadership post, which came after the Zimbabwean state media in July splashed photographs and video footage of a naked man resembling the archbishop in what they called his "love nest." The stories, and a civil lawsuit filed at the same time, accused him of breaking his vows of celibacy and having sex with a married woman, Rosemary Sibanda. They also claimed that she was not the only woman he had slept with. The decision for Archbishop Ncube to step down caused ripples of shock and disbelief among Zimbabwean Catholics, human rights organizations and opponents of the regime. While he will remain a bishop, the results are being viewed as a boost to Mr. Mugabe and a deep blow to civil and religious groups that have opposed the abuses, torture and killings of activists under Mr. Mugabe. A broad-based movement sprang up to defend the archbishop in the wake of the scandal. The resignation also comes after a series of attacks by the Zimbabwean security forces on opposition forces that began in March, forcing many to flee into exile. The attacks follow a pattern before previous elections, and Mr. Mugabe plans to run in elections due in March. Archbishop Ncube on Monday released a statement in which he did not address the photos, but described the scandal as "a state-driven, vicious attack" and vowed to continue fighting to defend human rights.
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