 Pro-Mugabe bishop Nolbert Kunonga using the power of state security machinery to defy his dismissal from the Anglican Church. Related Stories
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14 January 2008
By Never Kadungure
Hell hath no fury like a deposed Mugabe bishop! The former Anglican Bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga has shunned help from the heavens and instead enlisted the support of state security agents to deal with his opponents in the church.
Police disrupted several church services in Harare on Sunday with no less than three priests being arrested. All those picked up are opposed to Kunonga. Allegations are that they conducted church services without the authority of the police or Kunonga himself.
Riot police disrupted services in Belvedere's St Elizabeth church and told parishioners to leave the building.
Kunonga claimed to have pulled out the Zimbabwe diocese from the Church Province of Central Africa (CPCA) becuase of a dispute on the acceptance of homosexuality in the church. That withdrawal was used by the CPCA to dismiss Kunonga from their ranks.
Meanwhile suspicion remain that Kunonga is well on his way to forming a splinter Anglican Church that will pledge its loyalty to Zanu PF. The ousted Bishop already has a farm given to him by Zanu PF as a thank you gesture for his support.
The CPCA is meanwhile set to officially unveil Bishop Sebastian Bakare as a replacement for Kunonga later on in February. Bakare has already taken office leading to the creation of two factions, one loyal to Kunonga and the other to him.
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