ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports news is coming in fast at the moment so we summarise as below:

Zimbabwe:
- Maverick Bishop Nolbert Kunonga sets up rival Province:
- Harare Police Chief edict undermines attempts to re-establish the Diocese of Harare as
part of the Central African Province
- Eyewitness accounts of bad news from the parishes

Malawi: Mystery deepens about the new ‘election’ for new Bishop of Lake Malawi.
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ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports: Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, former Bishop of Harare has set up his rival splinter Province as planned (see earlier reports)

Also from AFP online reporting today 13th January 2008
Pro-Mugabe Anglican bishop forms splinter church: report
HARARE (AFP) — Axed Anglican bishop Nolbert Kunonga, an ally of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, has formed a splinter church after his ousting in a dispute over homosexuality, a state weekly reported Sunday.
"History has been made," The Sunday Mail quoted Kunonga as telling his supporters in the capital.
"We have formed our own province. It has been painful and sorrowful but out of that came the joy of our province."
He said the new entity would be known as the Anglican Church of Zimbabwe, with five dioceses in and around Harare.
Kunonga, a vocal backer of Mugabe's controversial land reforms, attempted to pull his Harare diocese out of the Anglican Church's Province of Central Africa over its stance on homosexuality.
He fell out with the province, comprising Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, for failing to condemn the ordination of gay bishops.
"There is no bishop in the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe whom I can clearly say has sympathised, indulged or compromised in homosexuality and we follow the scriptures. We refuse to embrace homosexuality," the Sunday Mail quoted him as saying.
Following his decision to quit the province, the Anglican church withdrew his licence and appointed Sebastian Bakare as bishop.
But Kunonga insisted he was the legitimate head of the diocese, splitting it in two factions that have in recent weeks engaged in fisticuffs in a dispute over church property.
Last week, police were called in to oversee the Kunonga and Bakare factions worship in different rooms of the main Harare cathedral.
Kunonga, who has officiated at various state functions and at Mugabe's swearing-in in 2002, has praised the much-maligned Zimbabwean leader as "a true son of God".
He is on the list of Mugabe allies banned from travelling to the United States under sanctions imposed after 2002 presidential elections widely denounced as rigged.
Mugabe, a Catholic, is also known for an anti-gay stance, having once referred to gays and lesbians as "worse than pigs and dogs." He has called Kunonga "my spiritual father"

Our on the ground reports (sources withheld for security reasons) from Zimbabwe confirm this news and add:
“The government Sunday Mail today had a photo of Kunonga on the front page talking to Rinashe (Borrowdale) and Gwedegwe (ex Diocesan Secretary), and reported that at a meeting on Saturday a new Province of Zimbabwe had been set up instead of the Harare Diocese. It would have five new bishops, including Rinashe, Gwedegwe, Mboyi, the Cathedral Dean, and the 'priest' from Kuwadzana who has been in charge of the thugs.”

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION says that this new ‘Province’ will not be recognised by any other Anglican Provinces worldwide. It will not even be recognised by dissident American Episcopal Parishes and quasi dioceses that are usually quick to support anti-gay rhetoric. Kunonga has gone too far even for them.

This all compares with press confirmation of news of the Central African Province’s action against Kunonga
Zimbabwe: Anglicans Revoke Kunonga's Licence
Zimbabwe Independent (Harare)
11th January 2008

By Lucia Makamure
‘THE Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA), which combines Anglican Churches from Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe, has revoked Bishop Nolbert Kunonga's clergyman's licence and those of priests aligned to him.
The decision was reached by 14 bishops of the CPCA at an extraordinary Episcopal Synod held on December 20 in Zambia.’
ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports: In the meantime an unconfirmed (and possibly forged) letter from the Harare Chief of Police has given us the following reportage (name of correspondent withheld for security reasons)

“It has been a bad Sunday for most of us here. A letter has gone out from the Harare Chief of Police to all stations informing them that, until there is a court ruling, services in all Anglican Churches must take place at the originally scheduled times and be conducted by the original priests.”

This is what happened on the ground - reportage:

1. Cathedral
7.30 English Service (Kunonga faction) sparse attendence
9.00. 15 people arrived to form a choir, with drums and rattles, and stationed themselves in the front two pews. None wore the Shona Choir robes.The service was conducted by the recently ordained 'priest' for 30 people. We spoke to one of these and found her to be an ardent Kunonga supporter. The rest, about 100 to 150 started their service in the church hall, with the Shona choir. This service was disrupted after about 20 mins by the riot police with helmets and truncheons. The people had no option but to go home.

2 St Peter's Meyrick Park
Both 7 am and 8.30 congregations came to church for a combined service as on
the previous week. The priest was there but the service did not start. Then one churchwarden came in and said there was a problem as the member in charge at the local police station (Mabelreign) said there was to be no service. However the other warden, and also the new Diocesan Registrar, a lawyer from our church, had gone to make further enquiries and the situation might change. However the policeman insisted that we should leave the church. Unfortunately as we got outside it began to rain heavily.

The other warden eventually arrived and said we were allowed to have the service, so we all trooped back. But the policeman said first he must check with his superior. We sang some hymns. The policeman came back and said his boss said 'No', and read the letter described above so we all went home.

3 St Elizabeth's Belvedere
8.45 Service attended by Kunonga's brother and his wife and the one other lady 11 am The Bakare priest started the 11 am combined service to a full church, and was in the middle of his sermon, when the riot police arrived, and they were told to go home. Some members of the choir took their hymn-books but were made to put them back.

4. St Mary's Avondale
7 am No Bakare priest arrived and Chris the ex rector came in robed to take the English Service. The churchwarden led the congregation into the Hall and they had a very joyful 'Praise and Worship' service and sermon.

5. St Luke's Greendale
8am Dr Kunonga arrived at 7.45 to take the service and sat in the church. Bishop Bakare arrived slightly later and agreed to go to the Hall. The churchwardens told the congregation that they could either stay or go to the hall. Everyone got up and went to the hall. This service was uninterrupted.

No information available as to what transpired in the high-density churches.

The sad thing is that one or two folk are beginning to crack a bit. A 90yr old who has worshipped at St Peter's since it was founded over 50 yrs ago broke down in tears, and the lovely old man who looks after the cars at the Cathedral has got very upset, compounded by the fact that his fares to work now up to 1.5 million each way are equal to his salary.

‘On top of all this we have had a circular that all water supplies to Harare and Chitungwiza will be cut off for a week from tomorrow due to failure of the water
treatment plant, caused by the frequent power cuts.’

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MALAWI – news of planned forced elections: As reported previously by ANGLICAN-INFORMATION the Central African Provincial Bishops at the same meeting 20th December held in Lusaka, Zambia (as quoted above) it was decided to force new elections for a bishop in Lake Malawi.

As explained in our previous issue this decision went directly against the Lake Malawi Diocesan Synod, which had agreed to a Provincial Court and ruled against new elections. An attempt at further contrivance to force new elections by mandate of a Standing Committee meeting was reported by us earlier at which acting Dean, Bishop Albert Chama ordered laity and other representatives not to speak.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION has already pointed out that an attempt to force an election in this case is most unwise, especially against a background of dubious canonical legality. Former Dean Trevor Mwamba had gained all parties full agreement to proceed to an independent Provincial Court and the proposed forced ‘election’ has been retired Archbishop Malango’s parting gift to the diocese, a charge which Bishop Chama seems determined to uphold, whatever the cost.

The situation has now worsened as the ‘election’ mysteriously scheduled to take place outside the Diocese of Lake Malawi and in former Archbishop Malango’s diocese of Upper Shire and supposedly due on 16th February has still not been announced in the parishes of Lake Malawi. It is canonically required to give three months notice to the parishes in order that candidates may be nominated. In fact so far only one candidate appears to have been allowed – Henry M’baya, the personal choice of former Archbishop Malango and acting Dean Albert Chama.

Moreover – we are reliably informed that even the members of the ‘Elective Assembly’ have not yet officially been told of the forthcoming election. It is consequently difficult to see how the ‘election’ can have any legal basis or moral credibility. Bishop Chama must either conduct himself canonically or not at all. His old friend Bishop Nolbert Kunonga is reported to be ‘highly amused’.
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Excessive rains
In the meantime seasonal but excessively heavy rains are proving a mixed blessing in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi as they are beginning to cause serious flooding and crop damage. Just at the time when the Province of Central Africa needs to be most focussed to help the people, its leadership is otherwise pre-occupied playing Machiavellian games.

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