Govt blasts ‘genocidal, evil minded’ bishops

Accord.”

She also accused the bishops of having a warped view of history.

“The letter seeks the revival and continuation of the perennial vices of division. It has a selective and warp-sided reading of history. The errant and evil bishop has a nauseating mental amnesia of the blight of minority settler rule and its baggage of exploitative racism against the totality of the black majority of Zimbabwe.

“The levity of his mental amnesia is worsened by the fact that he tears off pages of the progressive crusade for justice and democracy that has hitherto been the shining virtue of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe.”

Minister Mutsvangwa said the bishops chose to ignore risks posed by Covid-19 to incite people to demonstrate yet the World Health Organisation daily announces strictures to assist national Governments to fight and contain the pandemic.

“In the face of all that, our narrow minded bishop pontificates against Covid-19 rules. Even when America, his much-admired paragon of democracy and justice is complying. Recently President Trump had to call off the National Convention of his Republican Party slated for Jacksonville, Florida,” she said.

It was unfortunate that in the eyes of the “reckless Archbishop”, pride of place was accorded to the crusade against the governing and ruling party of Zimbabwe.

“The cause of national health in face of a pandemic is of no consequence. By calling people to march in the midst of the pandemic the bishop relishes the prospect of mass deaths. To him maybe that speeds up the ascent of the populace of Zimbabwe to their biblical judgement of heaven or hell.

“And behold, pastoral letter Bishops Conference of 14th August 2020 does not bother to invoke the repeated Papal calls for a global ceasefire in regions of war and strive.”

The Minister said the Pastoral Letter goes against the Pope’s call on nations to concentrate effort and resources to the fight against global pandemic.

Pope Francis recently implored the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution 5 July 2020.

“This noble aspiration of the Pope as head of the global Catholic Church is cited nowhere in the offending pastoral letter of the hate-mongering Archbishop Christopher Ndlovu.

“For God’s sake, why ignore the letter and spirit of the supreme Archbishop in the Vatican? If wars and strife can be wished away, how about a mere political uprising under the guise of an ill-fated mass demonstration?”

She said during the liberation struggle, Catholic bishops gained fame for protecting people’s rights unlike the ZCBC which is pushing political interests.

“Who can forget the venerable Bishop Lamont of Mutare and his brave defiance of the illegal and racist rule of Ian Smith and his 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence?

“How Bishop Lamont of the Carmelite Missionary Order in Zimbabwe went on to be a victim of a probably contrived car accident, his incarceration and eventual deportation. Yes, that brave man of the cloth could only return to Zimbabwe after 1980 in the wake of the victory of the National Liberation Movement.”

She challenged Zimbabweans not to be fooled by the call that “The march is not ended”.

“No No No! His Excellency President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa will have none of that. He will strive to dutifully protect the well-being and health of the people of Zimbabwe.” she said.