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	Zimbabwe: Pius Relinquishes Leadership allAfrica September 25, 2007 http://allafrica.com/stories/200709250191.html Harare — Disgraced former head of the Roman Catholic Church in Bulawayo, Bishop Pius Ncube, on Sunday handed over the leadership of the archdiocese to his successor, Father Martin Schupp, at a mass at St Patrick's Church in Makokoba. The former archbishop of Bulawayo was forced to resign two weeks ago following the unmasking in July of a two-year adulterous relationship with Mrs Rosemary Sibanda, a fellow parishioner. Addressing hundreds of Catholics during the mass held in an open-air yard of the church premises, Bishop Ncube said the mass was meant to "strengthen each other in our faith" and for him to publicly hand over the leadership of the archdiocese to Father Schupp. "I will be working in collaboration with Father Schupp, never against him. I will leave the office that I used to work from and he will use it. But I will use the one just next door. I will assume pastoral work. "Father Schupp asked me to guide evangelisation," said Bishop Ncube in his valedictory speech, looking pale and withdrawn. A rabid critic of the Government, Bishop Ncube again made political remarks and led the church in singing hymns and reading scriptures meant to strengthen himself and presented himself as a victim of a sting operation. He also spoke against what he called a passion for amassing ill-gotten riches. "It is clear that God sides with the poor and oppressed. "The powerful and those in authority must not trample on the poor. Our buying and selling should always support the poor. "We all want peace and we must pray for our leaders so that they do their duties as guided by the Holy Spirit," he said. He then attacked the Government, blaming it for the prevailing economic problems and alleged human rights abuses. Bishop Ncube said some people were fascinated by money. "The love of money is the root of all evil. "How many people among us have been bought? "I know that some people have been bought among us to do this and that. People from Chronicle and the CIO, I know they are here." Bishop Ncube, who is facing a $20 billion adultery lawsuit instituted by Mr Onesimus Sibanda, Rosemary's husband, claimed that since his sex scandal broke, he has met several church members who sympathised with him. He singled out one woman whom he said he met on Sunday morning at St Mary's Cathedral. "I know some people are not sleeping because of this story. "This morning (yesterday) I met a certain woman, when I was leaving St Mary's Cathedral. She is a Coloured lady, a very holy woman, who shed tears and I said Mrs So and So, do not cry," claimed Bishop Ncube. He thanked priests, permanent deacons and other faithful whom he worked with in the church during his tenure as the head of the archdiocese. "I would also like to thank the religious women for their service that they have done to the people. You were also hurt terribly by this scandal. Your cries are also mine," said Bishop Ncube. He recalled that when summons in the adultery case were served to him in July, "there were about 15 journalists waiting in the wings to get the story. There was an army of them." Ncube poured scorn on the Chronicle, claiming that the newspaper published lies. "The Chronicle published a list of Catholic bishops who have been caught up in similar cases, mentioning cases that happened all over the world, including the United States. "Publishing all that because of me?" he asked rhetorically. "OK, it is fine, I am leaving." Mrs Juliet Njini, a spokesperson of the pastoral council, spoke in support of the embattled bishop, saying the month of July "will always be remembered when that cloud descended on the church". She also made political utterances directed at the Government and said the media reportage on the bishop's sexual scandal was "an infringement of human rights". "What I am saying is not politics, but the social teaching of the Catholic Church," said Mrs Njini. Addressing the same mass, a Roman Catholic official, Mr Fernando Ncube, also attacked the Chronicle. He read out a letter he claimed was written by Pope Benedict XVI addressed to Bishop Ncube in which the Pontiff acknowledged the former archbishop's resignation. Contrary to investigations which proved that Bishop Ncube was given an option to resign or risk being fired, Mr Ncube said: "He was not given any option. He resigned on his own. This is the challenge to you Chronicle. "If you are truthful about what you have been writing, I expect to see this on the front page tomorrow." Later, Bishop Ncube presided over the induction of Father Schupp as the head of the archdiocese.
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