New Archbishop Replaces Pius Ncube, Zimbabwe Times, June 22, 2009

New Archbishop Replaces Pius Ncube

Zimbabwe Times
June 22, 2009

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=18576

BULAWAYO – Pope Benedict the XVI has announced the appointment of Very Reverend Father Alex Thomas Kaliyanil as the new Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo.

Father Alex replaces Archbishop Pius Ncube who was dethroned in 2007 following sensational allegations of sexual misconduct with a member of his congregation.

Father Alex was born in India in 1960.

In Zimbabwe Father Alex was first assigned as Assistant Priest at Holy Cross Parish in Tshabalala between 1990 and 1992. Currently, Father Alex is Regional Superior of the Divine Word Missionaries in Zimbabwe.

Disgraced Archbishop Pius Ncube

Ncube became very unpopular in official circles as a hard-hitting critic of Zanu-PF, President Mugabe and government.

Outspoken a he was, Ncube became the target of stinging allegation of adultery that plunged him into a Z$20 billion lawsuit, following claims that he had an affair with a married woman over the preceding two years.

Under Roman Catholic Church practice, all those joining the priesthood or nunhood – including archbishops, brothers and sisters take strict vows of celibacy, meaning they should maintain an unmarried status, and, thus, abstain from sexual relations.

Papers at the High Court show that Archbishop Ncube was involved in an adulterous affair with Rosemary Sibanda, who was married to one Onesimus Sibanda, her lawful husband since 2005.

According to the court papers, when contacted for comment, Sibanda first denied any knowledge of the affair but when she was shown pictures of her while stark naked in various positions in the Archbishop's bedroom, she admitted she had been involved in an adulterous affair with Archbishop Ncube for the past two years.

In one of the large portfolios of revealing pictures, a naked Ncube was shown while cuddling an equally naked Sibanda in the bedroom.

The Archbishop was also pictured in a compromising situation with several other women in his bedroom.

In his declaration served through his lawyers Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners, the plaintiff, Sibanda, a radio communications technician with the National Railways of Zimbabwe, alleged that on different occasions since January 2006, Archbishop Ncube was involved in an adulterous sexual relationship with his wife.

Reads part of the declaration:

"On diverse occasions between the period beginning 2006 and in places particularly in the environs of Bulawayo and St Mary's Cathedral, defendant illicitly associated and engaged with plaintiff's wife, one Rosemary Sibanda, in an adulterous sexual relationship well knowing of the marital status of the plaintiff's wife.

"As a direct result of the defendant's illicit and adulterous association with the plaintiff's wife, the plaintiff has lost the love, comfort and society that he previously enjoyed with his wife. Plaintiff has been seriously humiliated, his dignity has been impaired, his religious inclinations and faith shaken and he has suffered loss of consortium as he has had serious problems with his wife since January 2006.

"Owing to the illicit and adulterous association, the plaintiff suffered damages as follows: Z$10 billion being adultery damages as the defendant has abused his trust and position and engaged in an adulterous relationship with plaintiff's wife despite full knowledge that she was married. The marriage was solemnised in the Roman Catholic Church; $5 000 000 000 being loss of consortium; and Z$5 billion being loss of contumelia.

"Wherefore plaintiff prays for an order for payment of the sum of Z$20 billion, being damages for adultery, contumelia and loss of consortium suffered by plaintiff as a result of the defendant's illicit and adulterous affair with plaintiff's wife."

On that note one of Mugabe's most fiery critics fell from grace. Rosemary Sibanda died soon afterwards,