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ANGLICAN-INFORMATION
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ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports a news article by Fidelis Munyoro published in the Harare Herald on 22nd October, entitled ‘Kunonga Case Not Urgent’. The Harare Herald is a government mouthpiece for the regime in Zimbabawe and Bishop Nolbert Kunonga a well-known apologist for Robert Mugabe. His diocese of Harare has become a kind of government propaganda agency with a considerable number of priests expelled and living in exile and a few brave souls still standing firm. Kunonga has ordained government ministers in their place and has received a farm as a reward – onreceiving the property he prompted evicted 41 black families rendering them homeless. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has effectively called for him to be suspended from his duties. “In other jurisdictions, a priest or bishop facing such serious charges would be suspended without prejudice until the case had been closed……..It is therefore very difficult for Bishop Kunonga to be regarded as capable of functioning as a bishop elsewhere in the Communion.” Kunonga is barred from entry into Europe and the UK. The former Archbishop of Central Africa, Bernard Malango is a good friend and working colleague famously absolving Kunonga of 38 court charges against him, including incitement to murder at his pending trial in early 2006. Nolbert Kunonga has recently declared that his diocese and that of Manicaland have left the Province of Central Africa because he claims, astonishingly, of a lax approach to homosexuality. As predicted in our ANGLICAN-INFORMATION release of 20th October, Provincial attempts to regain control of the Diocese of Harare and its finances are coming to nothing. According to the Harare Herald, which thus far is the only source of the following information, which may therefore be assumed to be slanted at best and economical with the truth at worst: ‘Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of the Harare Diocese has won the first round in the High Court case brought against him by the Anglican Province of Central Africa following the judge's ruling yesterday that there was no urgency in the matter. The Province wants the bishop barred from using church property or operating church bank accounts or investments and brought an urgent application to get a court order. The dismissal of the application -- which had been brought under a certificate of urgency -- by Justice Alfas Chitakunye came barely 24 hours after the Harare Diocese held a special synod to reaffirm its faith in Bishop Kunonga's withdrawal from the Province of Central Africa. The diocese of Harare withdrew from the Province of Central Africa at the Provincial synod held in Malawi last month, accusing the Province of failing to censure bishops who supported homosexuality. The Province had then sought an interdict against Bishop Kunonga from heading Harare Diocese pending the finalisation of a dispute over the diocese's withdrawal. The application also sought to bar Bishop Kunonga from using his Harare offices and from accessing the church's Standard Chartered Bank accounts as well as handling investments held particularly with Imara, Kingdom and Tetrad. "The matter has been dismissed for lack of merit," said Mr James Mutizwa of Chihambakwe, Mutizwa and Partners, who was appearing for Bishop Kunonga. Advocate Eric Matinenga and Mr Tamuka Moyo of Costa and Madzonga, who appeared for the Province of Central Africa and Imara Investments, confirmed the judge's ruling.’ ANGLICAN-INFORMATION says that, as predicted by us, it will be almost impossible for the Central African Province to get justice and regain its property as the Mugabe regime will ensure that the case is protracted and kicked into the long grass of infinity. Provincial bishops may care to reflect that they are now in precisely the same position as the clergy and people of the Diocese of Lake Malawi who have courageously struggled for the past two years to have the injustices of the Provincial Court of Confirmation (presided over by Bernard Malango with vocal assistance from Nolbert Kunonga) addressed when their elected bishop the Rev’d Nicholas Henderson was accused amazingly of being of ‘unsound faith’. The resolve of the people of the Diocese of Lake Malawi is however unshaken and undiminished. More worrying still, the Harare Herald goes on to implicate the Archbishop of Kenya in what is fast becoming an internecine struggle played out on African soil, but reflecting the current divisions in the American Episcopal Church as powerful schismatic forces that are willing to overlook inconvenient political truths vie to influence African bishops and to squeeze apostolic orders out of them. ‘The diocese (Harare) is now seeking to join the Anglican Province of Kenya following a message of solidarity from Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi in support of the anti-homosexuality stance taken by Bishop Kunonga.’, reports the Herald. The article concludes by saying of the few remaining courageous voices in Zimbabwe and the Diocese of Harare. ‘The attempt by the anti-Kunonga lobby -- led by chairman of the Anglican Council of Zimbabwe Bishop Godfrey Tawonezvi of Masvingo and chancellor for Harare Diocese Mr Bob Stumbles -- to block parishioners from attending the synod came to naught after they responded in their numbers to make the resounding endorsement.’ This refers to attempts to point out the contrived and illegal nature of the Harare Synod held to endorse Kunonga’s position. ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that it would be hard to write a fictionalized account of an African Church and Province in such disarray and an Anglican Communion so set about by those who seek to tear it apart in schismatic self–righteous conviction. ANGLICAN-INFORMATION advises that the choice of Nolbert Kunonga as any kind of ecclesiastical running mate would be extremely unwise and it would be best for any bishops or Archbishops to give him a wide berth for their own sakes. God help the faithful priests and people who deserve so much better than this from their leaders. ANGLICAN-INFORMATION ANGLICAN-INFORMATION is a network acting as a free conduit for news and information related to the Anglican Diocese of Lake Malawi, and the Province of Central Africa. It is organised by an international team of those who know and love Africa and Malawi well. We reserve the right to reflect on the news as we receive it for the benefit of our worldwide audience. Some archive material of public domain releases can be found at: |
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