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Are the churches getting together at last?
Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe
September 02, 2004

"Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it." 1 Cor 12, vs 27 and 26

We, ecumenical church groups and church organisations all over the country, note with great concern the recent increase of attacks against representatives, members and organisations of the Christian churches in Zimbabwe by state media and representatives of the state.

The hateful and unjustified criticism against his grace, the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube, the subsequent and calculated efforts to split and defame honourable church institutions like the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, the Catholic Archdiocese of Harare and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe show disrespect and a culture of intolerance that even does not stop before the Christian community and the churches of Zimbabwe.

The Christian churches of Zimbabwe have – in many ways and in their diversity – always been the prophetic voice and the conscious of the nation. We support the newly inaugurated Archbishop of Harare, Robert Ndlovu, saying in his first homily, that - in succession of our Lord Jesus Christ and in unity with his holy prophets – it is the role of the church to "remind man and women of good will to uphold" human dignity and human rights as there are - amongst others - the right of life and the freedom of speech and association.

Wherever representatives or members of the church of Zimbabwe raise their voice to prophetically remind the public and the state to respect the God given rights of the people of Zimbabwe, it is the expression of the core vocation of the church and the Christian community. Blaming the church of negatively "meddling into politics" shows again disrespect and the lack of any understanding of the role and the divine obligation and calling of the church.

We, as ecumenical church groups and church organisations in Zimbabwe strongly reject these efforts to harm the image and to split the Christian churches and the community of church members in our country. We strongly and expressively support our leaders across all Christian denominations and churches whenever they raise the voice of the church for the voiceless and prophetically proclaim respect for justice, truth and peace in our country. It is our pastoral and Christian concern, seeing the democratic space for all parts of the society being shrinked down by draconian, unjust and repressive legislation.

We also reject any effort to define the work and the character of religious bodies and the church through the recently gazetted NGO Bill. It is the church in its unity and diversity, which is defining the field of its faith-rooted activities and work for the people and the Kingdom of God. We show solidarity wherever the body of Christ is suffering and resist any effort to split and to harm it.

Signed:

• Zimbabwe National Pastors Conference (ZNPC)
• Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ)
• Christians Together for Peace and Justice
• Churches in Manicaland
• Harare Ecumenical Working Group
• Zimbabwe Students Christian Movement
• Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace

Visit the EFZ fact sheet

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