Bishop Nolbert Kunonga The Diocesan Registrar for the Church of the Province of Central
Africa, Michael Chingore, told a news agency; We have already pressed
charges against Chihuri at the High Court for sending police to disturb
our services. We are simply saying the police or commissioner-general
should not be anywhere near our services. Mr. Chihuri is sending police
to provoke Anglicans and on the other hand he is saying he does not
know anything about it.'
Controversial Bishop Kunonga was excommunicated in 2007 from the
church, after he attempted to unilaterally withdraw the Diocese of
Harare from the Central African Province. This province includes
churches from Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe. He claimed at the
time he was protecting the diocese from rampant homosexuality'. He was
replaced by Bishop Sebastian Bakare but has since used youth militia
and the police to chase away Anglican parishioners loyal to the new
bishop. Most of this violent drama has played out at the main Cathedral
in central Harare. Kunonga continues to cling onto Anglican property
and seems to have the blessing of the Mugabe regime to act with
impunity and defy court orders.
Anglican bishops have meanwhile released a statement saying; We do not
recognize Mr. Kunonga as a bishop within the Anglican Communion
and we call for the full restoration of Anglican property within Zimbabwe to
the Church of the Province of Central Harare.' But Kunonga has
continued to defy these calls and every Sunday conducts his sermons
under the watchful eye of ZANU PF youth militia and riot police.
Unfortunately for the sacked Bishop nobody attends his services and he
preaches mostly to his own thugs while genuine parishioners attend
services led by Bakare, whenever they are allowed to do so.
Kunonga triggered controversy after publicly backing Mugabe's violent
land grab. He began a campaign to intimidate all his opponents in the
church and several fled the country after receiving death threats from
the Bishop himself. A church trial against him for abuse of church
funds and intimidation collapsed under very technical circumstances.
Kunonga received a farm from Mugabe's regime for his troubles,
effectively sealing his status as a blue-eyed boy of the regime.
SWRadio Africa
Post published in: News