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ANGLICAN-INFORMATION WCC invites churches worldwide to pray for Zimbabwe and letters from Lake Malawi e-mail: media at wcc-coe dot org> PRAY FOR ZIMBABWE, WCC INVITES CHURCHES WORLDWIDE Churches worldwide are being invited to celebrate a day of prayer for Zimbabwe on Sunday, 22 June, as the beginning of a season of prayer for the people and government of the African country, which is facing a critical time. The day of prayer for Zimbabwe, which is an initiative of Christians in the country, will take place shortly before the runoff election for the presidency scheduled for Friday, 27 June. "It is impossible to overstate the importance of this election, its fairness, its outcome and its aftermath", affirms the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter to the WCC member churches. "Events in the coming weeks will challenge the people of Zimbabwe and the world to find means of overcoming violence in the exercise of democracy, and the results will influence the future of the nation and the region", he adds. At the initiative of brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe, we in the World Council of Churches invite you to join us in observing Sunday 22 June 2008 as the beginning of a season of prayer for the people and government of Zimbabwe. On Friday 27 June 2008, the citizens of Zimbabwe will return to polling booths to cast ballots in a runoff election for the presidency. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this election, its fairness, its outcome and its aftermath. Events in the coming weeks will challenge the people of Zimbabwe and the world to find means of overcoming violence in the exercise of democracy, and the results will influence the future of the nation and the region. On Sunday 22 June we request churches to observe a day of prayer for Zimbabwe; on that Sunday, and in the days that follow, we ask you to join millions of Christians throughout the world as we lift up Zimbabwe and its people to the Lord, ask God's blessing and pray that peace may prevail. We offer the following prayer as a petition to God for the people of Zimbabwe. Eternal God: Through this and other prayerful actions, we will continue to support the people of Zimbabwe through the days and weeks ahead. In the love and unity of the triune God, we thank you for joining in this season of prayer. Blessings, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 *Please note that a culture of intimidation is no longer entirely restricted to Zimbabwe and sadly some of the Anglican bishops are prepared to punish clergy and threaten laity in the dioceses of Lake Malawi and Upper Shire, should they appear to ‘step out of line’. We have now recorded a number of examples of such actions in our files and have therefore withheld the names of correspondents – however, we will confidentially forward any e-mail responses should readers wish to reply and engage in dialogue. ‘Ngati timayenda ndi mzimu oyera tilolenso kuti mzimuyo atitsolele, Mtendere wa Ambuye Ukhale ndi Inu masiku onse! Are Christians in this Province surprised at the way our political leaders are behaving, especially in Zimbabwe? No, if our Church leaders behave like dictators, our leaders will behave the same way. In Chichewa we say Fisi sabeleka galu meaning ‘a hyena will always produce a hyena, not a dog’. As Christians we should pray hard that our Church leaders should be exemplary in the way they live and manage Church affairs. These same bishops mediate political impasse in our country but they fail to mediate the problems of the church in a Christian way. For example, they chose Bishop Trevor Mwamba (Bishop of Botswana, the popular previous Dean of the Province) to mediate the problems in Lake Malawi Diocese but somehow let the devil confuse the process (a reference to the arbitrary sacking of Mwamba by former Archbishop Bernard Malango). Leaders what exactly is it you want to see before you can reconcile and reach a compromise with the Church? This Province will in due course choose a new Archbishop for Central Africa (when all the currently vacant sees are filled). Can we pray for a God-Fearing leader who can once and for all bring peace to this confused Province. Don’t the bishops of this Province question their own integrity. Bad society produces bad leaders. May God open the eyes of our bishops to reflect and meditate on this letter.’ A concerned Anglican citizen • And from another correspondent: ‘Could someone enlighten me about what role the retired former Archbishop Bernard Malango is playing at St Thomas’s Anglican Church? (St Thomas’s is at the Lake Malawi Diocesan Headquarters) For four weeks on the trot he has been conducting Mass. Talk of giving someone a yard – they want to take a mile! Surely the congregation has a right to know of these changes.’ A member of the congregation ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that following the terms of the recent pronouncement of excommunication on Bishops Kunonga and Jakazi – Malango himself should be excommunicated or at least suspended from any duties as he has been the principal supporter of the Zimbabwean renegades who owe their very positions to him – no wonder the St Thomas’s congregation is unsettled. ..................END...............
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