HARARE Zimbabwe Catholic bishops this week accused the government of using state institutions as partisan tools to support the ruling party and stifle democracy, leaving minority groups marginalised.In its latest pastoral letter on national healing and reconciliation, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) said anybody who dared to speak out against the ruling party had been marginalised over the years.
“Those who have opposed the ruling party have been marginalised and sometimes criminalised. In our history, there has not been space created to allow for healthy political debates and contestation,” the letter said. “This has caused a lot of frustration and resentment. The formation of strong political opposition parties has become a source of strong political conflicts and violence. Women, the youth and minorities feel that they are not fully included in the development of the country. So politically, our country is deeply divided.”
Anybody who had advocated or perpetrated violence should not hold any public office, said the bishops. “Anybody who has used his or her position to direct, command, plan or directly commit acts of violence should not be allowed to hold any public office that he or she can use to perpetrate further violence in future.
“We appeal to the perpetrators of these atrocities, accomplices and instigators of violence to acknowledge the evil deeds and in conscience to own up and make restitution as Zacchaeus did. You need to be justified before God to find peace,” the ZCBC letter said. Last year, the Catholics strongly spoke out against political violence that characterised the general and presidential elections.
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