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Cleric to report Mugabe to Pope
05 Oct 2016 at 08:46hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is now bringing the Roman Catholic church into disrepute by perpetrating gross human rights abuses while regularly attending Mass and pretending to be a devout Christian, an activist cleric has said.
Remnant Church founder and renowned anti-Mugabe pastor, Patrick Mugadza, said Tuesday that he would soon petition Pope Francis, requesting the excommunication of the Zimbabwean leader.
Mugadza, who rose to fame after his arrest last year for staging a one-man demonstration demanding Mugabe's resignation at the last Zanu PF conference in Victoria Falls, said the veteran leader has tarnished the image of the Roman Catholic Church.
"We will soon write to the Pope where President Mugabe fellowships," Mugadza said.
"We will apprise the Roman Catholic church leader of Mugabe's wanton and gross human rights abuses against defenceless citizens and request the Zanu PF leader's excommunication."
His protest followed the arrest and incarceration of dozens of anti-government protestors across the provinces by the Zimbabwe Republic Police with many of the activists alleging assault and torture at the hands of the police.
Although a number of clerics have lately been condemning the brutality and mis-governance by Mugabe's government, Mugadza stands-out for being the only one who has staged street demonstrations.
The country has, in the last few months, been rocked by riots as bitter Zimbabweans took to the streets to vent their frustrations and demand that government addresses their grievances.
Owing to an ailing economy attributed to poor policies and elite corruption, two thirds of the estimated 13 million Zimbabweans have found themselves living below the poverty datum line.
Despite the country being ranked number one in Africa with a literacy rate of 90 percent, statistics show that at least 80 percent of the adult population is unemployed.
Source - newzimbabwe