News / National
Archbishop meets Mugabe
17 Apr 2016 at 14:28hrs | Views
The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Portal Welby says he is happy that the church-state relationship in Zimbabwe has vastly improved and there are now bright prospects for a fruitful association.
Archbishop Welby, who is the 105th archbishop of Canterbury and the most senior bishop in the Church of England, made the remarks after paying a courtesy call on President Robert Mugabe at State House in Harare this Sunday afternoon.
Accompanied by several Anglican bishops and the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ms Catriona Laing, Archbishop Welby was warmly received by President Mugabe upon his arrival at State House.
The delegation's meeting with Mugabe was also attended by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and several senior government officials.
Emerging from the meeting, Archbishop Welby expressed satisfaction with the church state relationship.
"Affairs of the church, the past and future, and mistakes that have been made are some of the issues that we discussed with the President," he said.
The Archbishop could not be drawn into disclosing exact details of what they discussed with the President, saying the meeting was private and confidential.
He however said they talked about the ordination of women bishops and they shared notes on that issue with Mugabe who is Catholic.
Archbishop Welby arrived in the country yesterday (Saturday) on a pastoral visit from Zambia where he had come to attend the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting.
This is the first time that the ACC is being held in central Africa.
Earlier in the day, the archbishop attended a church service at the Harare Showgrounds and drew Anglicans from across the country.
From 2007, the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe suffered a division between the internationally recognised Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) now led by Bishop Chad Gandiya and a breakaway faction led by Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of Harare.
The matter was finally settled in the courts of law.
Archbishop Welby, who is the 105th archbishop of Canterbury and the most senior bishop in the Church of England, made the remarks after paying a courtesy call on President Robert Mugabe at State House in Harare this Sunday afternoon.
Accompanied by several Anglican bishops and the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ms Catriona Laing, Archbishop Welby was warmly received by President Mugabe upon his arrival at State House.
The delegation's meeting with Mugabe was also attended by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and several senior government officials.
Emerging from the meeting, Archbishop Welby expressed satisfaction with the church state relationship.
"Affairs of the church, the past and future, and mistakes that have been made are some of the issues that we discussed with the President," he said.
He however said they talked about the ordination of women bishops and they shared notes on that issue with Mugabe who is Catholic.
Archbishop Welby arrived in the country yesterday (Saturday) on a pastoral visit from Zambia where he had come to attend the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting.
This is the first time that the ACC is being held in central Africa.
Earlier in the day, the archbishop attended a church service at the Harare Showgrounds and drew Anglicans from across the country.
From 2007, the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe suffered a division between the internationally recognised Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) now led by Bishop Chad Gandiya and a breakaway faction led by Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of Harare.
The matter was finally settled in the courts of law.
Source - zbc
