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It looks like the Bishops of the Province of Central Africa remain hell bent on destructively imposing their will on an increasingly restive Province. In the Diocese of Lake Malawi the Judge’s final decision on the injunction brought by the people to prevent the Bishops forcing an uncanonical election for a Bishop has now been delayed four times. Readers will recall that an injunction had been brought because the Bishops had bypassed the agreed synodical process of bringing the case of the failure to endorse the election of the Bishop of the Diocese, to a Provincial Court. This independent Provincial Court had been synodically agreed by all parties, under the then Deanship of Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana, before he was sacked by former Archbishop Bernard Malango. The Provincial Court is intended to assess the validity of the procedure of the original Court of Confirmation held in 2005. This produced the ridiculous claim that the Bishop elect, the Rev’d Nicholas Henderson, was of ‘unsound faith’ and attempted to override his overwhelming electoral mandate. Subsequent embarrassing developments as reported recently by ANGLICAN-INFORMATION have exposed former Archbishop Bernard Malango and the Bishop of Harare, principal advocates against the Bishop elect of Lake Malawi, as political mavericks who are united in unholy desperate common cause not to have an investigation into the flawed Court of Confirmation. The latest delay for the injunction in Lake Malawi has again been caused by the Diocesan Chancellor Mr Enock Chibwana, who has repeatedly claimed that he is not ready to meet the Judge in Chambers and defend the case. He is apparently under instruction from acting Dean Bishop Albert Chama to procrastinate for as long as possible as the Bishops’ case is so weak and they dare not risk losing to the people. Upper Shire Diocese: meanwhile in the former diocese of Bernard Malango we are receiving reports of great unrest and dissatisfaction in the parishes at the Bishops’ apparent insistence on forcing the unpopular Alinafe Kalemba, currently Dean of Zomba Theological College, on the diocese. Readers will recall that the diocesan representatives voted unanimously against Kalemba, despite the nine hand-picked outside representatives brought into the electoral college by Bishop Albert Chama. An injunction is now also being sought in Upper Shire diocese to prevent the Bishops imposing a candidate. So history will repeat itself. However, determined to play the old style authoritarian card, the Provincial Bishops will next meet on Saturday 29th March when they will again reaffirm their intention to force their candidates on the two dioceses. Henry M’baya for Lake Malawi and Alinafe Kalemba for Upper Shire. It makes us wonder rather cynically why the Provincial Bishops bother to go through the charade of having elections at all – why not just announce their candidates? Sadly, readers will observe that the divide between the Provincial Bishops, the people and their clergy in Central Africa is now so serious that the moral high ground of the struggle in Zimbabwe, where a courageous Bishop Sebastian Bakare is still battling to regain the Diocese of Harare from dissident Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, is in danger of being undermined. Kunonga, backed by President Mugabe, is still in real possession of the diocesan accounts, buildings and vehicles – everything except the overwhelming numbers of the people. Reports have come through to us even of pregnant women being attacked and not surprisingly Bishop Bakare is running out of money to pay the clergy. Contrasting Bishop Bakare’s noble struggle with the machinations of the Provincial Bishops in Malawi makes for a salutary ethical lesson. One Kunonga is more than enough. Some extracts from correspondence received – names withheld for security: ‘What has happened to upper shire is a manifestation that people are tired with the leadership of Provincial of Central Africa. If I were the bishops I would have reflected on what has been happening and may be pray during this lent period for deliverance. Let God guide you and not your wishes. Can you imagine nepotism in the church some bishops campaigning for their relatives. That is sad, work of God is a calling not a self-indulgence.’ ‘The Bishops are meeting in Lilongwe on 29th March 08 and they will do no work there since there will be injunction (in Upper Shire). So they will just blow donor money in hotel while priests and Christians gnash teeth because of hunger and poverty.’ ………………END…………….. ANGLICAN-INFORMATION ANGLICAN-INFORMATION
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