News / Religion
Mugabe off to the Vatican for Pope's inauguration
17 Mar 2013 at 15:28hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe would attend this week's inauguration mass for Pope Francis, a presidential official said, with the staunchly Catholic leader set to leave for Rome on Sunday.
"Yes, he is attending," the official told AFP, adding that the veteran leader's trip would not be affected by the European Union travel ban because "the Vatican is a state on its own".
Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis I last Wednesday, becoming the first Latin American pontiff in a surprise decision that signalled a desire for a more open Catholic Church.
The Vatican is preparing for his inauguration on Tuesday.
Francis replaced 85-year-old predecessor Benedict XVI, who shocked the world last month by becoming the first pope to resign for seven centuries.
Mugabe visited the Vatican in May 2011 for the beatification of the late pope John Paul II. In 2005, he attended John Paul II's funeral on a visit that drew controversy after Britain's Prince Charles shook hands with him.
The 89-year Mugabe has been barred from travelling to the EU for more than a decade because of concerns about vote rigging and rights abuses.
The Vatican is a sovereign city-state that is not part of the European Union, although to attend the ceremony Mugabe would have to transit through Rome.
Travelling under UN auspices, Mugabe also went to Rome in 2008 for a summit of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
He was flying out on Sunday, a day after Zimbabwe held a referendum on the constitution that saw aides of his rival and coalition government partner Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai arrested.
The new constitution, which is expected to be adopted, would dramatically trim Mugabe's powers and limits presidential terms.
"Yes, he is attending," the official told AFP, adding that the veteran leader's trip would not be affected by the European Union travel ban because "the Vatican is a state on its own".
Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis I last Wednesday, becoming the first Latin American pontiff in a surprise decision that signalled a desire for a more open Catholic Church.
The Vatican is preparing for his inauguration on Tuesday.
Francis replaced 85-year-old predecessor Benedict XVI, who shocked the world last month by becoming the first pope to resign for seven centuries.
Mugabe visited the Vatican in May 2011 for the beatification of the late pope John Paul II. In 2005, he attended John Paul II's funeral on a visit that drew controversy after Britain's Prince Charles shook hands with him.
The 89-year Mugabe has been barred from travelling to the EU for more than a decade because of concerns about vote rigging and rights abuses.
The Vatican is a sovereign city-state that is not part of the European Union, although to attend the ceremony Mugabe would have to transit through Rome.
Travelling under UN auspices, Mugabe also went to Rome in 2008 for a summit of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
He was flying out on Sunday, a day after Zimbabwe held a referendum on the constitution that saw aides of his rival and coalition government partner Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai arrested.
The new constitution, which is expected to be adopted, would dramatically trim Mugabe's powers and limits presidential terms.
Source - AFP
