Anglican Archbishop calls on Mugabe to ensure religious freedom of Zimbabweans is respected

Cape Town - The Anglican church is hoping for Christ to break the power of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and bring freedom to the country, Cape Town Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said on Wednesday.

Makgoba said in a statement he "deplored" the "shocking action" of the Zimbabwean police on Tuesday in preventing the clergy of the Diocese of Harare from holding their annual prayer retreat at Peterhouse School.

"I call on President Mugabe to ensure that the religious freedom of all Zimbabweans, and especially persecuted Anglicans, is respected, and to instruct the police to allow the churches freedom of assembly and worship."

Makgoba said the clergy's Bishop Chad Gandiya shared "in the sufferings of Christ".

"May they gain strength from the experience and never give in to a cynical and sinister government," he said.

"The forthcoming season of Epiphany speaks of our hope that the incarnate Christ breaks all boundaries, and that He will ultimately break the power of President Mugabe and those of his supporters who carry out these deeds, and bring freedom to Zimbabwe."

Makgoba called on friends and partners in the Anglican communion to ask their governments to put pressure on Zimbabwe to end the persecution.