‘Guide Zimbabweans towards unity, healing’

Herald Reporter
Pope Francis has urged local Catholic bishops to guide Zimbabweans towards unity and healing, saying Christians usually find themselves on all sides of conflicts.The Pope said this in his Holy Father’s Address yesterday to Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Zimbabwe members visiting Vatican  City.
He was also referred to a pastoral letter the bishops wrote to the Vatican in 2007.

“Christians find themselves on all sides of the conflict in Zimbabwe and so I urge you to guide everyone with great tenderness towards unity and healing,” Pope Francis said.

Although Pope Francis said Zimbabweans had suffered, particularly in 2007, he did not situate the hardships in the context of the West’s illegal sanctions regime.

This could have been an error of omission on the part of the bishops who briefed him on Zimbabwe.

The Government has been working to bridge the polarisation of the past decade prompting many observers to liken the ongoing spirit of all stakeholder engagement to a throwback to the newly-independent Zimbabwe of 1980.

The bishops were led by Masvingo Diocese Bishop Michael Bhasera.

Pope Francis urged the bishops to preach reconciliation, and commended Zimbabwe for allowing the church to grow and prosper.

The new Constitution guarantees freedom of worship and conscience.

He said generations of Zimbabweans, including many political leaders, had been educated in church schools.

The church runs many schools and hospitals at its mission stations across the country.

Pope Francis urged the Catholic bishops to continue preaching the gospel of hope. Pope Francis has twice met President Mugabe, a lifelong Catholic, in as many years.

The first meeting was at the pope’s inauguration in 2013, and then again this year when the leader of the Catholic Church was canonising two late popes.