Africa update
Zimbabwe: Ousted Bishop Kunonga Urges Vote for Mugabe
Lance Guma
SW Radio Africa (London)
10 March 2008
The ousted Anglican Bishop of Harare Nolbert Kunonga has urged Zimbabweans to vote for Robert Mugabe in the March 29 election. Kunonga who continues to defy his dismissal from the Anglican Church and is blocking worshippers from the cathedral in Harare, claimed Mugabe was Zimbabwe's anointed leader. The remarks came as no surprise, given the former bishop has relied on state security for protection and continues to receive immunity from arrest despite violating three court orders governing the use of the cathedral. He has on several occasions assaulted parishioners trying to access the cathedral for Sunday services.
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Churches set up £50,000 relief fund for Zimbabwe Anglicans
Christian Today
March 11, 2008
An emergency fund has been set up to support the work of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe as it re-establishes its mission and ministry following changes in the leadership of Harare Diocese.
Church leaders in the region have appointed Bishop Sebastian Bakare as Bishop of Harare to succeed the discredited Bishop Norbert Kunonga.
However, the outgoing leader has not relinquished control of diocesan accounts, which has made it impossible for Bishop Bakare to pay clergy and church workers.
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ECK given marching orders
by GITONGA MARETE
3/11/2008
A group of activists stormed an Electoral Commission of Kenya meeting Monday and demanded that the commissioners resign in seven days.
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Mr Muite’s call was supported by two ODM MPs. However, Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, Cotu secretary-general Francis Atwoli and a PNU MP called for caution.
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From where did corruption come?
By Dr Justin Ambago Ramba
Sudan Tribune (Sudan)
11 March 2008
… There was also the case of a southern Sudanese Anglican priest who went to become a politician and eventually a minister in the foreign ministry. This priest was indeed a threat to the very existence of the Anglican Church, and though his actions were not approved by the church, none of the members ever dared to challenge him as that would have meant a direct confrontation with the NIF security elements that were by then on the rampage. The church kept quite and the priest in question promoted himself to a Cardinal, I guess in line with the way the military junior officers always promote themselves to generals after successfully staging a coup de tat. In the chaotic situation which followed, the Anglican Church lost buildings and other properties which were widely believed to have been tampered with by the self appointed Cardinal.
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...and we don't get a lot of comment on these African stories; yet your editor wonders if our American readers note the enormous difference in the relationship between Church and State in the countries and cultures depicted here and in the USA... and that despite ongoing criticisms of TEC and General Convention for allegedly "meddling" in affairs of state through statements and position papers...
You may not get a lot of comments, but I for one always read them and often blog about Zimbabwe stories - I read a blog from there also that doesn't mention Anglican issues, but reports amazing, disturbing things. Here's a post from earlier today about the violent beatings suffered by women protesters celebrating International Women's Day:
http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/758
I became aware of This Is Zimbabwe back when they did a piece on "the Bad Bishop of Harare." I've been watching the Kunonga stories since then. Thanks for covering this!
Posted by: ginny | March 11, 2008 at 07:33 PM