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» Africa

April 21, 2008

Africa update

Nigeria: Church of Nigeria, Zaria, Marks Centenary Anniversary
Leadership (Abuja)
Chika Otuchikere
20 April 2008

The Cathedral Church of St. George of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Zaria Missionary Diocese, has put together an eight day programme to celebrate the 100 years of the diocese in Nigeria.

The event which kicked off last Friday with prayer and fasting would involve other activities such as centenary rally, bible quiz, interdenominational service of songs, playlets and a church planting programme.

Other events would include a seminar on the theme "Who is St. George by Bishop George Bako, a foundation laying of B.B Ayam Memorial Multipurpose Hall and a get together of St. George's alumni. Also, a Christian family night service with the theme "Stability of the Christian Home" as well as a thanksgiving service with the theme Christianity in Northern Nigeria are billed as part or the ceremony. The launch of the church history book is expected to be conducted by the primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Revd. Dr. Peter Jasper Akinola, who is also the special guest of honour of the events.

It’s all here

New Archbishop for Sudanese Episcopal Church installs in Juba
By Isaac Vuni
Sudan Tribune
20 April 2008

April 19, 2008 (JUBA) — The arrangement for Installation of the Archbishop-Elect are completed as twenty Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) Bishops and their wives have already arrived in Juba, the chairman of enthronement committee, Right Reverend Peter Amidi of Lanya Diocese has said.

Amidi said the Most Rev. Emmanuel Kolini of Anglican Province of Rwanda will represent the Chairman Council of Anglican Primars of Africa (CAPA) on enthronement occasion along with eleven foreign Bishops and thirty one laities who are expected to arrive Juba today to participate in this grand historic enthronement to be held tomorrow at10 .00am at All Saints Cathedral in Juba.

Right Reverend Peter Amidi stressed that there are great expectation from the Provinces of the Episcopal church of the Sudan and the entire world Anglican Communion family towards Enthronement of the newly elected Primate Daniel Deng Bul Yak as the forth Archbishop of ECS whom he described as a visionary new leader of ECS of the CPA era.

It’s all here

April 19, 2008

Ugandan Anglican school fire

Staff held over school death blaze
The Press Association

Ten people held in connection with a fire that killed 19 Ugandan schoolgirls are all school employees, a senior police official said.

The prisoners, nine guards and a matron, are being held on suspicion of negligence, said the officer.

It’s all here

Arms to Zimbabwe halted

Bishop stops Zim arms shipment
Independent (South Africa)
April 18 2008

The Durban High Court on Friday ordered that a shipment of arms destined for Zimbabwe may be offloaded in Durban's harbour but that the controversial cargo cannot be transported across South Africa to that country.

Anglican bishop Rubin Phillips with Patrick Kearney, a former activist and executive of the Diakonia Council of Churches, applied to the Durban High Court to prevent the weapons from reaching Zimbabwe.

The papers were lodged with Judge Kate Pillay in chambers shortly before 5pm.

It’s all here

Mystery of ship bearing arms for Mugabe regime
Donna Bryson, Johannesburg
The Sydney Morning Herald
April 20, 2008

THERE were conflicting reports last night about the destination of a Chinese ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe after it left South African waters.

A human rights group monitoring the vessel warned that any country that allowed the arms to be transferred to Zimbabwe would be in violation of international law.

The An Yue Jiang left Durban harbour on Friday, soon after a court ordered that there could be no movement of the cargo or the ship itself. Its arrival last week increased concern about tensions in Zimbabwe, where the ruling party and the opposition are locked in a dispute over presidential elections.

Anglican bishop Rubin Phillip, one of the applicants in the court case, said that it was clear that those involved with the ship wanted to avoid a legal battle.

"One wonders what really is going on," he said. "It would be a travesty if another African country allowed the shipment to take place. It would be a slap in the face to the ordinary people of Zimbabwe."

It’s all here

April 18, 2008

Hotbed

Nigeria: Hotbed of Homophobic Violence
by Scott Stiffler
Boston EDGE
Apr 17, 2008

Even in Africa--a continent not known for its gay-friendly cultures or governments---Nigeria stands out for the virulence and violence against gay men in particular as well as lesbians.

"The real threat of death or serious injury is not from legal actions by the state, but from mob violence and unofficial actions by the police who are a law unto themselves," says Davis Mac-Iyalla, Director of Changing Attitude Nigeria. "In that way, there is very little difference between North and South."

Mac-Iyalla, currently living in exile, emphasizes another troublesome similarity between the Christian south and a Muslim north: "One of the few common perspectives between Islam and popular Christianity in Nigeria is a hatred of homosexuality."

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April 17, 2008

Tale of sorrow

Grief engulfs Ugandan school
By Joshua Mmali
BBC News, Kampala
15 April 2008

A mother in traditional Ugandan dress wailed uncontrollably as rescue workers searched for the body of her daughter amongst the ruins and ashes of Buddo Junior School dormitory.

Other hushed onlookers crowded around in shock. An acrid smell hung in the air.

"My brother's just told me he can't identify his child," one man, who has a son at the school, said.

It’s all here

April 14, 2008

Funeral protest

Anglican priests walk away from a Mahalapye funeral in protest
by Morula Morula
Botswana Sunday Standard
April 13, 2008

Prominent Anglican priests, led by the former bishop of the church, Phiophilus Naledi, are reported to have walked out of a funeral of one of their expelled members, Esau Mosima, in Mahalapye last Saturday.

According to sources, they walked out after some of the expelled members of the church, who had attended the funeral, had been called to carry the coffin of the deceased priest from the house.

This apparently incensed Naledi and his company who then left the service.

It’s all here

April 10, 2008

Africa update

Nigeria: Six Persons Arraigned Over Bishop's Death
Leadership (Abuja)
Oliver Ndife
10 April 2008

Six persons, including two young girls were yesterday arraigned by the State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for allegedly killing Bishop Ogbonnaya Onyewububu, an Anglican Bishop based in United States.

The six persons arraigned at the Umuahia High court are; Chinedu Nnadumele, Chibuike of Ubani, Ahamefule Arise, Uchechukwu Ogbonna, Miss Adanma Arisa and Oko Rachael.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the three count charge of possession of firearm, murder and robbery of the deceased and his sister, Mrs. Lilian Onyewububu on Nov. 4, last year.

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Anglican bishop lashes out at newspaper
By Lesego Masemola
April 10 2008

Dr Joe Seoka, the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Pretoria, has declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the closure of the church's Tumelong Mission hospice and children's haven in Winterveld.

"I do not have the capacity or the mentality to deal with many things at one time, there is too much going on," was all he would say when asked to comment on the situation on Wednesday.

He accused the Pretoria News of harassing him and writing about the mission without first verifying the facts.

"You have written so much about it that there is no need to comment. I can't comment on the projects but the Tumelong Mission is still running," said Seoka when confronted at the Burgers Park Hotel after a church conference.

It’s all here

April 07, 2008

Africa update

Nigeria: Akinola Blames Country's Slow Progress On Election Rigging
Kolade Larewaju
Vanguard (Lagos)
7 April 2008

PRIMATE of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Peter Akinola, yesterday, warned that until free and fair elections were conducted in the country, it would not make any progress, adding that all political parties participated in rigging elections.

Delivering the sermon at the thanksgiving service to mark Ogun State Governor, Otunba Olugbenga Daniel's 52nd birthday in Abeokuta, the Primate said if politicians were genuinely interested in service they would not resort to rigging and violence.

Primate Akinola said, "until Nigerians resolve that they want a country free and where elections are not seen as a do-or-die affair, we won't make any progress as a nation.

It’s all here

Cleric calls for fight against corruption - At Daniel’s 52nd birthday
Olayinka Olukoya, Abeokuta
07.04.2008

The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican communion), Most Reverened Peter Akinola, on Sunday called for concerted efforts by Nigerians to fight corruption so as to give room for political stability and meaningful development.

The cleric stated this at the 52nd birthday thanksgiving of the governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel, held at the Valley View Auditorium, Government House, Abeokuta.

Primate Akinola added that for the nation to enjoy any meaningful development, the nation must be corruption-free. “For us in this country, politicians, traditional rulers and all citizens, to overcome it monsters, giants, Goliaths, we must all resolve to fight them headlong.

It’s all here

Unexpected places

Local doctor 'called' to help in Africa
BY GLORIA LaBOUNTY
SUN CHRONICLE
April 5, 2008

NORTH ATTLEBORO - A request from his pastor two years ago ended up leading Dr. Robert Lambe to unexpected places.

First, he embarked on a mission trip to El Salvador, then joined a group that traveled to Tanzania in late December, a journey that brought new commitment to his life.

Now he has involved his parish, Grace Episcopal Church in North Attleboro, in a project to help the people of the African nation.

Working with the Jubilee Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, a ministry aimed at helping people suffering from the HIV/AIDS pandemic in some African nations, Lambe is raising money to help build a dispensary in Tanzania and is working with others to plan future projects.

It’s all here

April 04, 2008

Leadership under pressure

Nigeria: Anglicans Say Jesus Would Be Shocked At Church Today
Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
4 April 2008

Christianity in the world today falls far below the standards of its founder, the Anglican Church here acknowledged.

The religion is afflicted by poor witness to the ideals of Jesus Christ. Its leadership is overly worldly and oppressive, the Anglican Standing Committee said.

Christianity has been so compromised "that if our Lord should be physically present in the world to see the Church today, He would be shocked and utterly disappointed by the extent to which His Church has lost its identity. Hardly anyone in the Church is free from this serious spiritual sickness."

But most blame lies on inept Christian leadership, the committee said in a pastoral letter signed by the Primate of All Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola. The letter was issued at the conclusion of a meeting in Nnewi Diocese.

It’s all here

April 02, 2008

Lost hope

Lost Boy may face charges in fatal crash
By John Agar and Nate Reens
The Grand Rapids Press
April 02, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS -- As one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," Mayen Biar Diing survived civil war and dangerous treks between refugee camps before he joined 3,800 war orphans who settled in the United States.

Their arrival earlier this decade brought tales of triumph.

But Diing, who came to the Grand Rapids area from Atlanta a couple of years ago, was troubled: He left his wife and two children behind in Kenya and began to wonder whether he could ever bring them here.

Some feared he found solace in drinking, with two drunken-driving convictions in the Grand Rapids area in less than two years.

"He lost his hope in life," said Zachariah Char, pastor at the Sudanese Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids.

It’s all here

More from Africa

Ghana: Financial Assistance for Students
Accra Mail (Accra)
EDITORIAL
1 April 2008

Inaugurating the Anglican University College of Technology last weekend, President Kufuor asked private universities to "explore avenues to institute financial support schemes for students from poor financial backgrounds."

Any Ghanaian parent or guardian, who has applied for a university for a child or ward abroad, especially to US universities, would generally be on the look out for what kind of "financial assistance package" would come with admission. So generous are some of these packages that many Ghanaians have had more or less free education from certain American universities.

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Orthodox Anglican church to get first Bishop in Ghana
Ghana News Agency
April 01, 2008

Sekondi, GNA- The Very Reverend Doctor Jacob Augustine Welbourne, would be consecrated and enthroned as the first bishop of the orthodox Anglican Church of Ghana at Sekondi on April 6, this year.

The release said between 1983 and 1994, he was the rector of the Trinity Episcopal Church in New Jersey and St. Clement's Episcopal Church in Michigan all in the United States of America.

He was the parish priest of the St. Augustine's Anglican Church at Dansoman and was transferred in 2002 and made the Dean of the cathedral church of Saint Andrew the Apostle, at Sekondi.

In 2006, he and four other church members of the church were charged for contempt of court, imprisoned and upon their release broke away to form the Orthodox Anglican Church at Sekondi.

It’s all here

April 01, 2008

Africa beat

Churches call for calm as Zimbabwe awaits election results
With tension building as results from Saturday's elections trickle in, religious leaders are calling for restraint on all sides.
By Scott Baldauf
The Christian Science Monitor
April 2, 2008

Bulawayo and Harare, Zimbabwe - With tensions rising, as Zimbabweans await the slow release of results from Saturday's national elections, church leaders are appealing for peace and restraint.

Foremost was the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa (FOCCSA), which urged calm from the Zimbabwean electorate, party supporters, political leaders, and security agencies alike.

Of course, the pace at which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has released results would test the patience of Job.

It's all here ...

Nigeria: Gbonigi, Adebayo Faults Do-Or-Die Politics
Sunday Kudaisi
Daily Champion (Lagos)
1 April 2008

The retired Anglican Bishop of Akure diocese, Rt. Rev Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonigi at the weekend took swipe of the nation's democracy saying those who compound the county woes with do-or -die politics would not go unpunished.

He said the only way they could escape the wrath of the Almighty God was to repent and turn a new leaf.

Gbonigi who spoke at the first memorial public lecture in honour of the former Governor of Ondo State, Late Adebayo Adefarati said that for democracy to thrive in Nigeria, politicians at all level must do away with godfatherism.

It's all here ...

Rwanda: Archbishop Kolini Raps Journalists
The New Times (Kigali)
31 March 2008
Edwin Musoni

The head of the Rwandan Anglican Church, Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, has attacked the local media for not being professional and using abusive language in their reporting.

His reaction comes few days after a local vernacular bimonthly, Umuco, published defamatory and instigative articles in the latest issue, one of them targeting President Paul Kagame.

Kolini said that the media has no right to abuse or incite violence saying it was "extremely unprofessional for anyone to use abusive language in the name of being a journalist."

He was speaking during the launch of '40 Days of Purpose' campaign at Amahoro National Stadium last Sunday - a function attended by President Paul Kagame and US evangelist Pastor Rick Warren, who is also the author of the bestselling book 'Purpose Driven Life'.

It's all here ... and this commentary is interesting, as is this story.

March 31, 2008

News from Africa

Anglican church appoints new Archbishop
SABC News (South Africa)
March 30, 2008

The Anglican Church of South Africa has installed a new Archbishop. The new church leader, Reverend Thabo Makgoba, 48, is said to be the youngest person to be elected head of the 160-year-old Anglican Church in South Africa.

After his anointment by fellow bishops, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Makgoba pledged to work for peace, justice and reconciliation in a changing world.

President Thabo Mbeki was among the many church and political dignitaries who formally greeted the new Archbishop. Mbeki paid tribute to past Anglican leaders, and the church as whole, for their role in defeating apartheid.

It's all here ...

Bishop urges Nigerian to be close to God
The Tide (Nigeria)
Mar 30, 2008

The bishop of the Diocese of Okirika, Anglican Communion, Rev. Tubo Abere has called on Nigerians to draw closer to God, saying that Christ died and rose from death for man to repent and serve God fervently.

Bishop Abere made the call Monday when he led a delegation of members of the diocese to pay a courtesy visit on Chief O.B Lulu Briggs, at his residence in Port Harcourt.

The clergyman said that the main purpose of the visit was to formally invite Chief Lulu-Briggs to attend the forthcoming synod of the diocese, holding at Ogu, in Ogu/Bolo local government area, Rivers State, in April as a true servant of God in the vine guard.

It's all here ...

March 28, 2008

Africa update

Uganda: Gay Row - U.S. Pastor Supports Country On Boycott
The Monitor (Kampala)
29 March 2008
Evelyn Lirri

FAMED American pastor, Dr Rick Warren has said he supports the decision by Ugandan bishops to boycott the forthcoming Lamebth [sic] conference in England, United Kingdom.

The conference brings together Bishops of the Anglican Communion from all 38 Provinces of the Communion every 10 years.

"The Church of England is wrong and I support the Church of Uganda(CoU) on the boycott," Dr Warren said on Thursday shortly after arriving in Uganda.

It's all here ...


Easter promises a better future – Cleric

The Tide (Nigeria)
Mar 27, 2008

The Anglican Archbishop of Lagos, Rev. Adebola Ademowo, said Sunday in Lagos that in spite of the present-day calamities, the Easter season promised hope.

“The people are crying of hunger, scourge and incurable diseases, but there is certainly hope at the end of the tunnel,” he said in his Easter message.

Ademowo, whose message was entitled “A Gospel of Hope and Salvation,” urged Nigerians to pray against terrorism and kidnapping in the Niger-Delta.

It's all here ...

Bishop urges religious leaders to stand for the truth
The Tide (Nigeria)
Mar 27, 2008

The Anglican Bishop of Nike Diocese in Enugu State, Prof. Evans Ibeagha, has urged religious leaders to stand for the truth “for justice to prevail in the country”.

Ibeagha made the call Sunday in a sermon at St. Cyprian’s Cathedral, Abakpa-Nike, Enugu, in celebration of Easter.

He said: “The truth has to resurrect in Nigeria’s polity to correct the many anomalies plaguing the country.

It's all here ...

Kenya: Clerics Are Caught in a Partisan Time Warp

OPINION
Okech Kendo
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
27 March 2008

The Church, disillusioned flock say, has spiritual opportunists with fading memories and scanty convictions.

Three months ago, it failed to provide leadership when the flock needed it most. A people on the precipice needed spiritual intervention, even if that meant imposing sanctions on 'thieves of normalcy'.

Three years ago the Church sabotaged the constitutional review that would have given the country viable governance institutions.

In public, Church leaders proclaimed spiritual neutrality and transcendental independence in the referendum, but in private they propped up status quo. It is status quo and the struggle for change that have created the current contradictions.

The Church is caught in the mess, without an idea how to evade the spiritual conundrum.

It's all here ...

March 26, 2008

Africa update

Uganda: Bishop Tells Acholi to Leave Camps
Dennis Ojwee
New Vision (Kampala)
24 March 2008

ALL internally displaced people in Acholi should leave the camps and return home, the outgoing Anglican Bishop of Northern Uganda has said, reports Dennis Ojwee.

"I am commanding you the IDPs still clinging to the camps to burn all those grass-thatched huts and go back to your old homes in the villages," said Onono-Onweng. "There is no more war. So, what are you still doing in the camps?"

He was giving an Easter sermon in Gulu town.

It’s all here

Zimbabwe: Kunonga Resists Anti-State Stance in Zim
OPINION
DR Obediah Mukura Mazombwe
The Herald (Harare)
25 March 2008

"we are not going to have the remains of the pioneers interred in the cloisters trampled upon by the feet of terrorists," said the Dean of the Anglican Cathedral in the then Salisbury. This was in response to a request by the Zimbabwean nationalists to hold a thanksgiving prayer at the cathedral following the end of the war of independence.

Yet the same Anglican Church had previously, at its mission stations in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, nurtured and encouraged young upcoming nationalists, some of whom later joined the armed struggle and became "terrorists".

Therein lies the duplicity of the attitude of the Anglican Church towards the liberation of Zimbabwe by its indigenous people, and the role it has played in that struggle over the years. In the immediate sense this equivocation is attributable to the personalities and psyches of specific persona in control at a given time and place. It has little to do with the Anglican Christian doctrine per se.

It’s all here

Nigerian gay leader violently attacked
PlanetOut
March 24, 2008

The leader of a Nigerian gay rights group was violently attacked Thursday while attending a funeral, according to Changing Attitude England, an activist organization.

The man, who was the director of the Port Harcourt chapter of Changing Attitude Nigeria, said a man approached him while the congregation sang a hymn, asking him to speak with him outside. He said he was then attacked with slapping, punching, kicking and spitting by a group of six men.

"While beating me they were shouting, 'You notorious homosexual, you think can run away from us for your notorious group to cause more abomination in our land?'

It’s all here…

March 24, 2008

Africa update

A nation divided
Political struggles weaken a country's infrastructure, but not its people's resolve
Tom Mayer
New Bern (NC) Sun Journal
March 21, 2008

Jared Olaka used his first four visits to Eastern North Carolina to serve the homeless in a Carteret County soup kitchen and to enlist help in securing fresh water for a small village in his native Kenya. He was exceptionally successful at both projects.

His fifth visit, one that brought him to friends in a New Bern home a week ago today, now finds the retired Anglican priest essentially homeless himself - a victim of the humanitarian crisis following his country's corrupt presidential election in December.

"My aim now is to make the world know the truth from Kenya," Olaka said in slow, precise English. "I'm here to tell people what we're going through."

It’s all here

Pastor from Namibia lives commitment of one for all
By Vickie Johnston
Athens (AL) News Courier

The Rev. Lukas Katenda’s eyes gleam with pride when he describes his heritage: “It is a rural village. We produce our own food, cultivating land, looking after cattle and goats.” The Rev. Katenda is originally from Onamutai, in northern Namibia on the continent of Africa. He was born into the Oukwanyama tribe that includes approximately 300,000 members in Namibia and Angola.

The Rev. Katenda will graduate in May from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, and he has already received an appointment to be the Anglican Diocesan Secretary/Treasurer in the Namibian capitol Windhoek. He is also to be married in December to Auna Kashima. The post he will fill for the Anglican Diocese of Namibia has been vacant for three years, so the Rev. Katenda will certainly face a monumental task. In addition, the Rev. Katenda had worked for three years as a nurse and midwife in St. Mary’s Health Center in Odibo, and he intends also to maintain his certification so that he can volunteer in the rural villages around Windhoek.

“I will avail myself for any service that requires my expertise. Being in the Diocesan office, my primary responsibility will be church business – helping the church grow fiscally and spiritually. But we also have these social responsibilities. We also have to be there,” the Rev. Katenda said.

It’s all here

Good Governance: Anglican Bishop Charges Political Leaders
From Francis  Ugwoke
This Day (Nigeria)
03.24.2008

In  the spirit of  the Easter  celebration, Anglican  Bishop  of Enugu, Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma (OON) yesterday charged political  office holders  in the country to make sacrifice  by  ensuring that they  embark on measures that will  bring about positive changes  in  the lives of Nigerians.

Delivering  the Easter sermon  in Enugu,  Bishop Chukwuma  said   Nigeria  and Nigerians will witness  rapid development if leaders who are entrusted  with the resources of the nation eschew  corruption and embark on programmes that will  impact positively on the  living conditions of the people.

Noting that  the country has suffered as a result of corruption,  the Bishop  said this trend can  change if leaders  can  show  love to the led by proving  themselves to be selfless.

It’s all here

Politicians Urged to be Godly
From Reuben Buhari
This Day (Nigeria)
03.24.2008

Politicians in the country have been urged to reflect on the message of peace that the Easter celebration signifies and refrain from politics of divisiveness,  character assassination and hatred of people they describe as their political enemies.

The Arch-Bishop of the Anglican Cathedral of Kaduna, Dr. Josiah Idowu-Feron, while delivering this year's Easter message titled “Peace in God” further advised politicians to practice peaceful politics and  desist from any act capable of truncating the democratic process in Nigeria.

It’s all here

Textual criticism

Outrage in Uganda over Kadhafi's Bible comments
Panapress Kampala (Uganda)
20/03/2008

Kampala, Uganda - Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi has attracted outrage from Christians in Uganda, over his remarks that any Bible and Tora (Old Testament) that do not mention Islamic Prophet Muhammad was written by mankind and therefore ''a fraud''.

Apparently stunned by his visitor's revelation, host President Yoweri Museveni said: "I now demand an explanation from Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Luke Orombi, and Catholic leader Cardinal Cyprian Lwanga about the omission of Prophet Muhammad from the Bible."

It’s all here

March 17, 2008

That other "controversial" bishop

Zimbabwe's Ousted Anglican Bishop Appeals High Court Decision
By Peta Thornycroft
VOICE OF AMERICA
17 March 2008

Nolbert Kunonga, formerly Anglican bishop of Harare has gone to the Harare High Court to appeal a recent ruling which orders him to share Zimbabwe's only Anglican cathedral with a bishop recently appointed to take his place. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA the long-time supporter of President Robert Mugabe has also promoted himself.

Nolbert Kunonga this weekend promoted himself to the position of Archbishop, saying that Zimbabwe now stands alone as a so-called Anglican province. Kunonga was sacked by the Central African Anglican Province early this year after trying to withdraw the church in Zimbabwe from the regional body - he said because of the church's permissive attitude toward homosexuality.

But another church minister, Reverend Christopher Tapera says Kunonga has used the controversy over homosexuality and the church for his own reasons.

It’s all here

My country is bleeding
17 March 2008 15:09

Meanwhile, another clown, deposed Anglican Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, Mugabe's spiritual midget and partner in futility who was recently thrown out of the Anglican Church, is urging Zimbabweans to vote for Mugabe.

Kunonga, who, like Mugabe, has lost the knack of civilised discourse, is refusing to give up his position as Anglican Bishop of Harare. He went to court using parish funds to stop parishioners from worshipping at the famed Anglican Cathedral in Harare. He lost and now sleeps and lives in the church to make sure that only those people who support dictator Mugabe have access to the vicary.  Any comment SADC?

Mugabe has provided Kunonga with a band of the feared CIO agents to protect him at the commandeered Cathedral as he soils God's name and that of the church and tries to justify evil to please a murderous tyrant.

It’s all here

March 13, 2008

Africa update

Zimbabwe's Mugabe in bid to win support of critical church

HARARE (AFP) — Gilbert Mhangwa shakes his head dejectedly as he walks away after turning up for a service at Harare's Anglican Cathedral, only to find the entrance blocked by a gang of youths.

A few metres away, riot police brandishing batons disperse disgruntled parishioners who later stage an impromptu prayer session outside the imposing granite-block building.

"We are not enjoying our full rights as Zimbabweans," complains the Right Reverend Sebastian Bakare, the new bishop of Harare.

It’s all here

Imo govt to boost internal revenue
The Tide (Nigeria)
Mar 12, 2008

Gov. Ikedi Ohakim of Imo has pledged to boost the revenue profile of the state within the next one year.

Speaking at a thanksgiving service organised by CAN on Sunday, Ohakim said the measure would enable government to provide the dividends of democracy to the people.

CAN had organised the special prayer session to thank God for the governor’s victory at the tribunal.

The CAN Chairman and Anglican Bishop of Owerri Diocese, Rev. Cyril Okorocha, said the prayer session was to thank God for upholding the state.

He said Christians should not fold their arms and watch things go wrong in the society, and called for fervent prayers to sustain peace, unity and progress in the state.

It’s all here

March 11, 2008

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.

It’s all here

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.

It’s all here

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.

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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Continue reading "Africa update" »

March 08, 2008

Making a difference

Uganda mission trip subject of presentation
By Angela E. Lackey
Midland (MI) Daily News
03/08/2008

    They went there to make a difference. They returned changed inside.

    The 2008 Uganda Mission Team will talk about their work and experiences at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Presbyterian Church. The public presentation will be in the church's fellowship hall and begin with a potluck supper at 6 p.m. There will be pictures, examples of Ugandan handcrafted baskets and bead jewelry for purchase and information on orphan sponsorship.

    Team leader Sue Waechter said team members will talk about the mission's purpose and projects. They also will talk about their impressions and how the trip impacted them.

    The mission trip was Jan. 29 through February 13. The group went to the Muko sub-county in Uganda's southwest Kabale District. Waechter said the mission had three major purposes -- to develop an orphan sponsorship program, to build a new medical clinic and install a solar-powered vaccine refrigerator, and to organize village women with HIV/AIDS to sell their handicrafts.

It’s all here

Benedict's Rule

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
By Galen Holley
3/8/2008

ABERDEEN - A couple of years ago, 25-year-old CJ Meaders was anything but quiet, playing his guitar in coffee houses and bars in Mississippi college towns. These days, he and his two house mates pass hours in quiet contemplation.

Meaders lives in an "intentional community" of three. Together with his house mates - Bailey Ward, 24, of West Point, and Watson Lamb, 22, of Greenwood - they comprise the Bishop's Mission Corps, a project of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi designed to help twenty-somethings become leaders in the church.

Men in black

In its present incarnation, the Corps - a nine-month commitment, this time with only three males - grew out of a 40-day co-ed retreat, the first of which was two years ago at Camp Bratton-Green in Canton. It was conceived by Bishop Duncan Gray III, with the help of the Rev. Tim Jones, formerly of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Corinth, as a way for young people to step back from contemporary culture. Although the Corps operates under the auspices of the Episcopal Church, it is open to all people of faith.

It’s all here

Church members help rebuild Mississippi

KARI C.BARLOW
Northwest Florida Daily News
March 8th, 2008

FORT WALTON BEACH – Imagine a place where people from different states gather to rebuild the houses of complete strangers.

They pay out of their own pockets for the opportunity to install drywall, hang sheetrock and yank out window frames.

The hours are long, but smiles, hugs and home cooked food are abundant.

That place is Camp Coast Care in Longbeach, Miss., a ministry of Lutheran Episcopal Services.

Located in the heart of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, the ministry has a simple mission – renovating and rebuilding storm-ravaged homes.

It’s all here

Celebration of a sage

Why Nigerians celebrate Awo in death - Cleric
From Olayinka Olukoya and Dapo Falade
Tribune (Nigeria)
07.03.2008

IKENNE-REMO, Ogun State, the home of the Awolowos, bustled on Thursday as family members, friends and associates, including the Ogun State governor, Chief Gbenga Daniel, gathered to celebrate the 99th birthday of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was born on March 6, 1909.

At the ceremony, which marked the 21st posthumous birthday of the sage, and held at the Efunyela Hall, the Vicar of Our Savior’s Anglican Church, Venerable Foluso Babatunji, lamented that the ideas and policies of Chief Awolowo were misjudged and misconceived by many Nigerians.

“Papa Awolowo’s policies and ideas were not respected while he was alive, but now that he is no more people started celebrating him,” Venerable Babatunji said.

It’s all here

March 06, 2008

Africa update

Rwanda bishop moved by youth
Questions impress peace leader
TIM FUNK
Charlotte (NC) Observer

3/4/2008 - Bishop John Rucyahana of Rwanda speaks to 500 students and teachers from 21 regional public and private schools at Charlotte Latin School.

One by one, they stepped to the microphones, peppering the African visitor with questions.

About the call by Darfur activists to boycott the Beijing Olympics. About European troops in Chad. About former President Clinton's apology for not stopping the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

A news conference with a visiting head of state?

No, the informed questioners Tuesday were students from 20 public and private high schools in and around Charlotte.

Anglican Bishop John Rucyahana of Rwanda, who gave the answers during a two-hour forum at Charlotte Latin School, was impressed, even moved, by what they asked.

It’s all here


Nigeria: Anglican Church Commences Work On Specialist Hospital

Enyim Enyim
Vanguard (Lagos)
5 March 2008

THE Enugu Diocese of the Anglican Church has embarked on a N250m specialist hospital which is expected to be completed in 2009.

Bishop of the Diocese, Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, told reporters that the project was aimed at assisting government in its effort to ensure good health for the citizenry in Nigeria.

Apart from the Specialist hospital project, he said the diocese had moved into schools, evangelism and other humanitarian services such as providing for prisoners, widows and the physically challenged pensions. The Church is the conscience of the nation and must also continue to be the advocate of the masses. And this must be done because there is no atmosphere of violence that can achieve peace and progress in a country".

It’s all here

March 04, 2008

Proverbs 30:18-19

Nigeria: Female Cleric Urges Mothers to Embrace Peace
Daily Trust (Abuja)
4 March 2008

A female cleric, Mrs Comfort Oyelade, of Our Saviour's Church of Anglican Communion, Abuja, has appealed to mothers to embrace love in their homes to ensure peace.

Oyelade made the appeal Sunday in Abuja, during a sermon she delivered to mark mothering Sunday.

She tasked mothers to always pray for their husbands and the entire family "with submissions and fear of God, as they were the pillars of every home".

"We must treat our husbands like kings and must not forget our duties as wives, if only we want our husbands to treat us like queens," she advised.

It’s all here

South Africa: Zuma's Growing Stock of Wives And the Burden of Christianity
Nicholas Sengoba
OPINION
The Monitor (Kampala)
4 March 2008

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, 65, President of the African National Congress (ANC) has been making headlines lately for the way in which he is going about adding "wives and women" to his harem.

The polygamous side of Zuma makes news in many parts of the African continent that practise Christianity as a religion because of what a critic on national radio called the "burden of Christianity."

When the European missionaries landed in Africa with a new religion, the greatest hurdle for most of the converts was giving up polygamy (and traditional forms of worship which the missionaries called "witchcraft.")

To take advantage of the package that the new religion provided ie education and vocational skills such as carpentry, most natives took to practising Christianity during "broad daylight" before reverting to the old ways in "the night" in the absence of the prying eyes of the society -what is known as being "Anglican by day and African by night."

It’s all here

Continue reading "Proverbs 30:18-19" »

March 03, 2008

Africa update

Zimbabwe: Anglican Church Saga - Kunonga Remains Defiant
The Herald (Harare)
Published by the government of Zimbabwe
3 March 2008

BISHOP Nolbert Kunonga has vowed not to revoke his decision to break away from the Church Province of the Central Africa or compromise with the rival group led by Retired Bishop Sebastian Bakare as that would mean betraying the fundamental principles of the Anglican faith.

Speaking at a meeting called by the Department of Public and Interactive Affairs in Harare last week, Bishop Kunonga said the withdrawal from the province was a synod decision.

He blamed the courts for causing the current skirmishes and violence in the church after allowing Bishop Bakare and his followers to use Anglican Church property.

It’s all here

Kunonga Loses Ground
01 March 2008

HARARE
Ousted Harare Anglican Diocese bishop, Nolbert Kunonga has lost ground in his battle against Bishop Sebastian Bakare, and has also lost all moral authority among parishioners, senior clergyman in the embattled church said this week.

Kunonga - who as Bishop of Harare tried to use the pulpit to defend President Mugabe's insane policies - was dismissed by the Anglican synod of Central Africa after he attempted to withdraw the Diocese of Harare from the synod.

The synod, the Church’s supreme authority in the region, appointed retired Bishop Bakare as caretaker head of the Harare diocese, a move Kunonga is fiercely resisting.

It’s all here

Kenya: Church Now Urges Local Leaders to Initiate Peace
Brian Adero And Stephen Makabila
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
2 March 2008

The Catholic Church wants grassroots leaders to be involved in efforts to find lasting peace.

Eldoret Diocese Catholic Bishop Cornelius Korir said for the purpose of lasting peace and co-existence, grassroots leaders should be involved in reconciling all communities.

He said a meeting of elders from all communities should be called.

It’s all here

Kenya: Tortuous Road That Led to Power Deal
Athman Amran
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
2 March 2008

The path that led to the signing of the power sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga had many hurdles.

The two adversaries had their swords drawn even before last year's December 27 General Election. Emotions that would later burst open in violence and deaths when President Kibaki was declared winner had been whipped in earnest.

During the countdown to the General Election, there were ominous developments that pointed to the hard line stances that would be taken afterwards by both parties.

It’s all here

Insurance company waiting for assessors’ reports to pay claims
The Nation (Kenya)
3/3/2008

British American Insurance has welcomed the power sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga, saying it was good news to the business community.

“The political deal is great news for the country because we can now focus on building our economy without fear that violence might recur,” said Mr Stephen Wandera Wandera, the managing director, during donation by Tumaini na Undugu Response team of foodstuffs to internally displaced people in Burnt Forest and Eldoret ASK Showground.

Tumaini na Undugu is an initiative of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the Methodist Church in Kenya aided by companies including Equity Bank, British American Insurance and Housing Finance.

It’s all here

Christians hold peace prayers
by BENSON AMADALA
The Nation (Kenya)
3/3/2008

Christians Sunday gathered in churches in Kakamega for special prayers for peace and reconciliation.

Rev Moses Wesa of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Maseno North Diocese, said special prayers for peace would take place Monday in all the parishes.

“We organised prayers to help reunite families who were affected by the violence as part of the healing and reconciliation process targeting the communities,”said the cleric.

It’s all here

The mammoth task of reconciliation
Tim Funk
Charlotte (NC) Observer
Mar. 01, 2008

John Rucyahana is an Anglican bishop in Rwanda who has taken a leading role in his country's reconciliation efforts following the 1994 genocide. He founded the Sonrise School to help some of Rwanda's 400,000 orphans. His diocese is the country's largest. His new book: "The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones."

Q. What message will you bring to Charlotte?

That reconciliation is the key to building communities and restoring the social fabric. And not just in Rwanda, where we had the genocide and the killings. Even in societies that are supposedly doing well, there are ill feelings between people, between institutions, that hinder progress. All these things need to be put right through reconciliation, through looking at things realistically and engaging.

It's all here ...but strangely, not a word about Bishop Rucyahana’s role in the formation of the breakaway Anglican Mission in America…

Bishop wants churches to sponsor pilgrimage to Israel
The Tide (Nigeria)
Mar 3, 2008

The Anglican Bishop of Katsina Diocese, the Rt. Rev Jonathan Bamaiyi, yesterday in Jerusalem called on Churches in Nigeria to support government efforts at sponsoring pilgrims to the holy land.

Bamaiyi told our correspondent that the clarion call had become necessary to lend a helping hand to government.

The federal, state and local governments subsidise pilgrimage for Christians each year, amounting to several millions of naira.

Pilgrims receive allowances ranging from $200 to $2,000 with other expenses taken care of, such as transportation, accommodation and feeding.

It’s all here

Liberia: Episcopal Church New Bishop Challenged
The Inquirer (Monrovia)
3 March 2008

The consecration and enthronement ceremony of the twelfth Resident Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Liberia has taken place in Monrovia, with the Very Rev. Jonathan B.B. Hart taking over as the new Bishop.

Bishop Hart who ascended the position after winning the church's election, which was held recently, replaces Bishop Edward Neuville, who has been retired as the Resident Bishop of the church.

During the consecration ceremony, which was held yesterday at the Trinity Cathedral on Broad Street, the gavel of authority to run the church was officially turned over to Bishop Hart after a mandate from the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa was read at the ceremony.

It’s all here

February 27, 2008

"The devil is living in the cathedral"

Land dispute enters holy ground as sacked bishop seizes cathedral
Anglican split deepens after Mugabe's security forces back renegade clergyman
Chris McGreal in Harare
February 26 2008

The Rev Christopher Tapera laid his altar on a wooden table outside the granite walls of Harare's Anglican cathedral and told the assembled worshippers that if they wanted to find the devil they only needed to look toward the locked and barred church.

"The bishop is the devil in disguise. He has been sent by the devil to destroy the church. The devil is living in the cathedral," said the priest.

The worshippers locked out of the cathedral for Sunday's service generally agreed that it was Satan's work. But the devil many had in mind was Robert Mugabe, as a politically driven battle for control of Zimbabwe's Anglican church mirrors the country's history with its own unilateral declaration of independence, land grabs and a stolen election.

It’s all here

Zimbabwe: Anglicans worship outdoors while 'devil' squats in cathedral
27 February 2008

Anglicans in Zimbabwe have been forced to hold services out of doors, after the disgraced former bishop of Harare, Herbert [sic] Kunonga, blockaded himself in the cathedral, assisted by government security men.

Kunonga was expelled from the Anglican Church after he declared an independent diocese and refused to hand over church property and funds to his successor. He also has called for the killing of Mugabe's opponents, taken over white-owned property and installed unqualified men as clergy in his new 'church'.

On Sunday Rev Christopher Tapera led a service outside the locked and barred cathedral. He told them: "The bishop is the devil in disguise. He has been sent by the devil to destroy the church. The devil is living in the cathedral," said the priest.

It’s all here

Zimbabwe: Anglicans' Trial Date Set

The Herald (Harare)
Published by the government of Zimbabwe
26 February 2008

The trial of eight women from Glen View's St Andrews Anglican Church, accused of damaging property worth billions of dollars belonging to a church pastor in a bid to evict him from a church house, has been set for March 11.

Grace Muzondo, Penelope Muzvongi, Mauline Gombakomba, Loveness Paswavaviri, Thelma Musekiwa, Fadzai Nyabadza, Joyce Kaseke and Frasiya Kwaramba are being charged with malicious damage to property. The eight, who were accompanied to court by fellow parishioners decked in the church's blue and white uniform, were ordered to attend trial next month. Mbare magistrate Ms Marehwanazvo Gofa also ordered the State to provide the defence with the relevant papers for trial on time. More than 20 churchwomen stood up in court to be warned for trial as defence witnesses while State witnesses were not available.

The eight were part of the women who allegedly pulled down a security fence and broke a French door and some windowpanes while trying to forcibly evict Pastor Matthew Zifoti from a church house.

It’s all here

Botswana: Mwamba Narrowly Escapes Assault
Bame Piet
Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
26 February 2008

The St Paul's Anglican Church nearly turned into a battlefield on Sunday when a group of irate members wanted to assault Bishop of the Diocese of Botswana, Trevor Mwamba.

A furious young man tried to block Mwamba from leaving the church building in the middle of a heated meeting. He had tried to close the main doors in front of the bishop but was overpowered by a priest.

Members were demanding answers from Bishop Mwamba about the way he is running the church. This was after the bishop addressed the congregation on the suspension of licences for seven priests whom he said had violated church cannons. He said that he had tried to talk to the priests for a period of a year to stop associating with a fired bishop in Zimbabwe.

It’s all here

Pastor says U.S. has role to play in Kenya
By Thor Jorgensen
Lynn (MA) Daily Item
February 27, 2008

LYNN - Accounts of violence in Kenya are more than just news stories to Joseph Ngotho; they are the latest news about the fate of his homeland and his dispossessed family.

"They had homes and businesses. Now they are living in churches or communal compounds," Ngotho said.

Democratic stability in this African nation disintegrated last year when a power sharing agreement between political rivals fell apart.

The ensuing bloodshed sent a tidal wave of anguish through the Greater Boston Kenyan community Ngotho ministers to a congregation of 60 Kenyans at St. Stephens Memorial Church.

The debate in the last several years over openly gay Episcopal Church leaders prompted some Kenyans to endorse a rift between the Anglican and Episcopal Church.

Ngotho has tried to help his St. Stephens parishioners understand that more issues unite than divide them, including struggles to overcome poverty and racial and gender injustices.

It’s all here …and wouldn't the Communion be better off with more priests like Joseph Ngotho and fewer of the other kind...?

February 23, 2008

Read, mark, learn...

A very important group of stories from The Atlantic, March 2008...

God’s Country
Using militias and marketing strategies, Christianity and Islam are competing for believers by promising Nigerians prosperity in this world as well as salvation in the next. A report from the front lines
by Eliza Griswold

It’s all here … and yes, it's that Eliza Griswold, daughter of the former Presiding Bishop...

One Nation, Under Gods
Eliza Griswold, author of "God's Country," talks about the forces driving religious conflict in Nigeria and what the rivalry between Christians and Muslims could mean for Africa's most populous country.
by Justine Isola

Erase for a moment the images of Nigeria that may come to your mind—of burning garbage dumps in sprawling Lagos or unemployed young men brandishing jerry cans in the Niger Delta. Picture instead 100,000 white-clad believers flowing out of a mosque on any given Sunday, or a megachurch filled with 300,000 worshipers at an annual Pentecostal convocation. As Eliza Griswold reports in her March Atlantic article, “God’s Country,” Nigeria is a country suffused with faith—a force that has become a powerful and divisive form of identity.

Griswold has written about conflict and human rights for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s, and The New Republic, among other publications. In 2006 she visited Nigeria, hoping to learn more about how the forces of globalization are influencing the formation of local identities—particularly religious identities—in a country that is almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians.

It’s all here
Also see:

Slideshow: Nigeria—A Struggle for Souls and Survival
Photos and narration by Seamus Murphy. Produced in conjunction with PBS's Frontline/World.

It’s all here

Audio: The Contest for Africa
Hear Eliza Griswold speaking with Lisa Mullins of Public Radio International's "The World" about the clash between Islam and Christianity along Nigeria's Middle Belt.

It’s all here …(and a shout-out to Lisa Mullins, former colleague at WBUR in Boston!)

Witnesses

'Lost boy,' others to speak about hope
BY DANA MASSING
Erie (PA) Times-News
February 23. 2008

Abraham Nhial saw other boys eaten by wild animals and drowned in rivers.

He was one of the "lost boys" who survived.

"God kept us alive to be witnesses of what took place in Sudan," Nhial said.

It’s all here

February 21, 2008

Disruption

Zimbabwe: Parishioner in Court
The Herald (Harare)
Published by the government of Zimbabwe
21 February 2008

A MEMBER of the Anglican Church in Harare appeared in court on Tuesday on allegations of beating up parishioners as a way of disrupting a service at St Mary's of All Saints Cathedral.

Andrew Chauke (35), who works for the church at the corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and

Sam Nujoma Street, is being charged with public violence.

It’s all here

February 20, 2008

Repent

Uganda: Resist Lesbianism, Students Told
Joel Ogwang
New Vision (Kampala)
19 February 2008

STUDENTS should resist lesbianism and homosexuality, the Anglican Archbishop has said. Luke Orombi said even male animals 'go out' with females, wondering why the evil acts exist among students.

"As a youth, I was a drunkard and smoked like there was no tomorrow. I also 'preyed' on every skirt I lay my eyes on, but I didn't ever go for a fellow man," he testified.

Closing a mission week at Uganda Christian University in Mukono recently, Orombi urged students to help their friends living in sin to repent.

It’s all here

Continue reading "Repent" »

February 18, 2008

Africa update

Clergymen React to NCCK Poll
The East African Standard
Feb 14, 2008

The National Council for Churches of Kenya's admission that the clergy took partisan positions during the political campaign political crisis has elicited sharp reactions from religious leaders.

It also put into focus the role of the clergy in electioneering and conflict resolution.

The Head of Development Awareness Programme in the Eldoret and Kitale Anglican dioceses, the Rev Maritim arap Rirei, asked the church to pull out of NCCK

Rirei said the NCCK, as an umbrella of Protestant churches, had failed in playing its role of keeping the Government on its toes on crucial political matters.

It’s all here

Zimbabwe: Kunonga Holed Up in Anglican Cathedral
Lucia Makamure
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare)
15 February 2008

AS the Harare Anglican Church diocese saga continues to unravel, fired Bishop Nolbert Kunonga has reportedly set up residence at the cathedral in the capital and locked up the church's doors to bar acting vicar general Sebastian Bakare from carrying out his duties.

The move by Kunonga, sources said, was in defiance of High Court orders stopping him from interfering with Bakare's activities.

Bakare is also the acting bishop of Harare.

It’s all here

Zimbabwe: Kunonga Uses Youth Militia to Take Over Cathedral

Lance Guma
SW Radio Africa (London)
15 February 2008

The ousted Anglican Bishop of Harare Nolbert Kunonga has reportedly set up residence at the Cathedral, along with 40 members of the notorious Zanu PF youth militia. The church had dismissed the controversial Mugabe supporter after he attempted to take the diocese away from the Church of the Province of Central Africa. Kunonga however is leading a defiance campaign and using hired thugs to block new bishop Sebastian Bakare and his parishioners from holding their services. The High Court had ruled that there should be a 90-minute separation between Kunonga and Bakare's services, with those led by Kunonga starting at 7am and Bakare's at 12:30pm. But Kunonga's people have been locking up the cathedral immediately after their service