Cape Town — The bishops of Zimbabwe's powerful Catholic Church have issued an unusually strongly-worded letter to their congregations drawing an analogy between the current struggle and the struggle for liberation from white rule.
In a pastoral letter for Easter, the bishops draw on theological insights which implicitly cast Zimbabwe's rulers in the role of oppressors, and ordinary Zimbabweans as the oppressed: "Oppression is sin and cannot be compromised with," they say. "It must be overcome. God takes sides with the oppressed."
They suggest that young Zimbabweans see their leaders "habitually engaging in acts and words which are hateful, disrespectful, racist, corrupt, lawless, unjust, greedy, dishonest and violent..."
The language of the letter might have been expected from Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, but is extraordinarily harsh for a formal joint statement from the country's Catholic Bishops' Conference.
The letter says black Zimbabweans are today fighting for the same rights they fought for during the liberation struggle.
"It is the same conflict between those who possess power and wealth in abundance, and those who do not; between those who are determined to maintain their privileges of power and wealth at any cost, even at the cost of bloodshed, and those who demand their democratic rights and a share in the fruits of independence; between those who continue to benefit from the present system of inequality and injustice, because it favours them and enables them to maintain an exceptionally high standard of living, and those who go to bed hungry at night and wake up in the morning to another day without work and without income; between those who only know the language of violence and intimidation, and those who feel they have nothing more to lose because their Constitutional rights have been abrogated and their votes rigged."
"Many people in Zimbabwe are angry, and their anger is now erupting into open revolt in one township after another."
The bishops warn that the country has reached what they call "a flashpoint," and is in an "extremely volatile" situation.
"As the suffering population becomes more insistent, generating more and more pressure through boycotts, strikes, demonstrations and uprisings, the State responds with ever harsher oppression through arrests, detentions, banning orders, beatings and torture."
To avoid further bloodshed "and avert a mass uprising," the bishops call for "a new people-driven Constitution that will guide a democratic leadership chosen in free and fair elections..."
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Their statement identifies the crisis in Zimbabwe as "first and foremost a spiritual and moral crisis," but also a crisis of governance and of leadership. There are Christians, including office-bearers of the Catholic Church, on both sides of the current struggle, the bishops say:
"They are all baptised, sit and pray and sing together in the same church, take part in the same celebration of the Eucharist and partake of the same Body and Blood of Christ. While the next day, outside the church, a few steps away, Christian State Agents, policemen and soldiers assault and beat peaceful, unarmed demonstrators and torture detainees."
The Catholic Church has been an important force in Zimbabwean society, more supportive of the liberation struggle than many other churches. President Robert Mugabe is among many Zimbabwean leaders who was educated by Catholic institutions.
Full text of Pastoral Letter: 'God Hears The Cry Of The Oppressed'
