He was accompanied by the Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd. Crispian Hollis, head of the International Affairs Committee of the English Bishops’ Conference.
In December 2006, Bishop Hollis led a church delegation to Zimbabwe but upon his return refused to talk to the press, fuelling speculation that the Catholic Church now prefers to work quietly, behind the scenes, and is engaged in a round of “quiet diplomacy” talks with various church and political leaders aimed at returning Zimbabwe to some kind of normality.
In a statement upon arrival in Harare at the invitation of Archbishop Robert Ndlovu, the Cardinal said: “I stand by them (Catholics in Zimbabwe) in their witness at this time of crisis. Walking together with all those who suffer is at the heart of our calling to offer pastoral care and support to the most vulnerable. This visit recognises the long -standing links between the Churches in our two countries through which we hope to build a better future”.
The magazine’s report said that the Catholic Church has long been a thorn in the side of Zimbabwe’s dictator, Robert Mugabe. Archbishop Ndlovu has strongly criticized Mugabe and condemned Zanu (PF)’s support for so-called slum clearances that left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and hopeless.
It noted that in recent weeks Zimbabwe’s Catholic bishops have taken “a step back” from their recent “bold criticisms” of Mugabe’s regime.
Last year, in a dramatic Holy Week message, the Zimbabwean bishops called for an end to the current tyranny. The magazine’s Abigail Frymann said that a pastoral letter to prepare Catholics for presidential, parliamentary and council elections scheduled for March 29 takes a more “diplomatic line” than the Easter 2007 letter. Â
“Much of the new letter is directed towards voters and those organizing the election rather than the candidates,” writes Ms Frymann. “It calls for Christians to be more involved in public life and to vote according to moral conviction and the integrity of candidates rather than according to political party or interest group.” – African Forum News Services
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