Churches divided over resumption of services

ZANU PF aligned cleric Obadiah Msindo says the government's decision to allow churches to resume services only for congregants that have been vaccinated against Covid-19 has exposed divisions among church leaders.

Some church leaders challenged the government's decision as impractical as they could not turn away people from attending services.

The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHoCD) said the government's position on the resumption of physical services was not well thought out.

ZHOCD is made up of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the union for Development of Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe Africa.

Msindo claimed President Emmerson Mnangagwa made the decision in response to a request by some churches.

"Some of the church leaders, from different denominations about 20 of them, wrote to the president asking to be given permission to worship with only vaccinated members of their churches.

"So the truth of the matter is their request was granted," said the Destiny for Africa network founder.

"but some of the sections of churches got it wrongly; some think that it is the government now imposing vaccination on them.

"This is a misrepresentation. the truth is that, the churches are divided, and that is the problem we have.

"The churches should sort out their differences first and not take their differences to the government or blame Mnangagwa."

He added: "I want all other denominations, whether traditional, Pentecostal or whatever, to know that it was never Mnangagwa as they want to project or portray him as the one who imposed the order.

Zimbabwe banned all gatherings in June as the country entered the third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, which was characterised by a high death rate and a surge in infections.

The ban on gatherings still stands under the Covid-19 regulations that were last reviewed nearly a fortnight ago.