Church of the Province of Central Africa           

             The Diocese of Harare

 

                   The Standing Committee, Diocesan Trustees   

                   Diocesan Secretary, Education Secretary, Senate

                  

                                                From: The Bishop of Harare                                                                                                     9 Monmouth Road

                                                                                    Avondale

                                                                                    Harare

                                                                                    Tel: 04-308042

                                                            Email: dhrecpca@ecoweb.co.zw

9th March, 2010

 

To:

The Most Rev’d Dr. Thabo Makgoba (ACSA)

The Most Rev’d Dr.  Valentino Mokiwa (ACT & AACC)

The Most Rev’d Ian Ernest (CPIO & CAPA)

The Rt. Rev’d Albert Chama (Dean - CPCA)

The Most Rev’d Dr.Justice Akrofi (CPWA)

The Most Rev’d Dr.Bernard Ntahoturi (Burundi)

The Rev’d Rev’d Dr. Eliud Wabukala (ACK)

The Most Rev’d Dr. Peter Akinola (CPN)

The Most Rev’d Henry Orombi (Uganda)

The Most Rev’d  Joseph Marona (Sudan)

The Most Rev’d Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda)

The Most Rev’d Isingoma Kahwa (Congo)

The Rev’d Canon Grace Kaiso (CAPA Gen. Sec.)

 

Re: Pray for Diocese of Harare CPCA

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We write to brief you about the unacceptable and trying situation in the Anglican Diocese of Harare in the Church of the Province of Central Africa. Ideally, we would have preferred to brief each one of you in person as that would provide you with opportunities to ask questions. Unfortunately, this is not possible. Therefore we have to make do with this means of informing you. The position of the situation where things stand today is as follows:

 

From the date of my consecration on the 26^th July 2009 till the end of November we shared use of church buildings with the Kunonga group in compliance with Justice Makarawu’s judgement, which ruled that the two groups should take turns to use the buildings. However, from the end of November 2009, the Zimbabwe Republic Police in collusion with the Kunonga (former bishop of Harare) group started driving us out of our churches unceremoniously even when we were in the middle of Holy Communion threatening to beat us up and to tear-gas us. From that time till today they man our churches preventing us from going in and when we ask them why they are doing it they simply tell us that they are following orders “from above”. Some of our people have been arrested, beaten and threatened with tear gas unlawfully disregarding the parishioners basic Human Rights that are enshrined in the Bill of Rights that allows citizens freedom of association and worship. The Zimbabwean Constitution embraces this right as well. [We have met with government ministers of relevant ministries but nothing has come of it.] Our congregations continue to meet for worship in the open air exposed to the elements even though we own our church buildings and have court orders allowing us to use these. We wanted our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church on our beloved continent to be aware of what we are going through. We are experiencing what could be described as state persecution at the hands of the police. While a number of the brethren in the Christian community in Zimbabwe have offered support by opening their buildings for our congregations to worship in and also by praying for us, we are bewildered by the fact that other denominations and such ecumenical bodies as the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, to which we belong, have remained silent concerning our situation.

 

Please pray for:

1. Members of our diocese to remain steadfast in their faith and commitment to the lord Jesus Christ.
   
2. Wisdom to be given us as we respond to the provocations and seek peaceful ways of ending this persecution.
   
3. Preparations for the court hearings and especially for our legal team.
   
4. The police to stop persecuting, harassing us and partisan interference in the affairs of our church and obey court orders; the ministers of Home affairs, the attorney general and judge who will judge our case.
   
5. Please use the collect below as you pray for us.

 

Prayer for Diocese of Harare CPCA

 

Almighty God,

 Your son Jesus Christ suffered rejection, shame and death on the cross:

Strengthen your people of the Anglican Diocese of Harare CPCA

Who are suffering at the hands of the police and those who hate them,

Save them:

From hatred, anger and revenge when teargas is thrown at them and are driven from their churches;

From bitterness when beaten, maimed and imprisoned for insisting on worshipping you in their churches;

From despair when they worship you in the scorching heat, rain or smelly gullies;

Give them grace and courage to hold on to the faith and not lose hope,

Through our only true liberator Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Amen.

+Chad Harare,

05/01/2010