The seven suspended Anglican Church priests have sought the intervention of the High Court after they could not reach a compromise deal with the church authorities.

Sources in the church have informed this paper that their attorneys have called for the reinstatement of the priests with immediate effect and for the suspension of Bishop Trevor Mwamba of the Diocese of Botswana pending investigations. On the other hand the authorities called for a dialogue and opposed Mwamba's suspension, said a source. The two parties could not agree on each other's demands and the priests opted for court intervention, the source added.

The seven priests are for the congregations of Lobatse, Molepolole, Mahalapye, Broadhurst, Mogoditshane, Selebi-Phikwe and Tonota. It has emerged that some of the priests have not been paid their salaries and allowances, something that has angered church members.

However, the Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) Secretary General David Modiega said none of the parties has lodged a complaint with them. He pointed out that maybe the priests realised that court intervention would be the quickest way to solve their problems.

Attorney for the suspended priest Kgalalelo Monthe of Monthe Marumo Attorneys confirmed that they are going to the High Court in Lobatse today but would not disclose any details.

It is not clear who is representing Bishop Mwamba who is said to be overseas, as the church was not ready to discuss the matter with this paper. Our attempts to contact Anglican Public Relations Officer Lawrence Khupe were futile.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how the Anglicans are going to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ - Christmas - after some congregations threatened to stay away from the church.

The complaint from church members is that Bishop Mwamba is sabotaging Batswana priests to give way for foreigners, an allegation the church authorities have since denied. They say that the priests were suspended after it was realised that they had violated church rules but could still be reinstated if they repented.