The caretaker Anglican Bishop of Harare from November 2007 to July 2009, has challenged Christians from other denominations in the country to speak out against the persecution of Anglican parishioners.

Writing for the Church Times publication, Bishop Sebastian Bakare expressed his surprise at the lack of Christian solidarity with persecuted Anglicans in the Harare diocese. He also said the fact that this persecution still continues, despite numerous assurances by high-ranking government officials that it would be brought to an end immediately, made the situation all the more extraordinary and shocking.

The Anglican Church was plunged into bitter dispute over its property with Nolbert Kunonga, a rogue Bishop and Mugabe supporter, excommunicated in 2007 after attempting to unilaterally withdraw the Harare Diocese from the Central African Province. Despite a High Court order that the two factions share church property until the matter is resolved, his small but violent group have been locking church buildings and harassing their rivals, with tacit support from the police.

Three weeks ago the High Court dismissed with costs an application by Kunonga seeking to get full control of church properties. The ruling simply re-affirmed an earlier one that property be shared, pending a final resolution. But even the latest ruling is still being defied by both the police and Kunonga's band of thugs who have permanently camped at all the Anglican church buildings in Harare.

On Wednesday the new Bishop of Harare, Chad Gandiya, told Newsreel that one of their priests, Father Chamarenga from the Rugare Parish, was arrested by police at the weekend. Two weeks before that there were running battles at many churches in Harare as riot police used teargas to disperse parishioners loyal to Gandiya and the main church.

His predecessor Bishop Bakare says the lack of Christian solidarity was all the more evident during his time when he approached other churches to use their buildings, 'on behalf of our congregations who were (and still are) not allowed to use their own churches.' He says he did so 'on the assumption that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, only to realize that our brother and sisterhood does not go beyond our denominational boundaries.' Bakare also said no single church leader has spoken out against their persecution.