Zimbabwe bishop creates new church: CEN 1.18.08 p 1.

The former Bishop of Harare, Dr. Nolbert Kunonga has formed an independent “Church of the Province of Zimbabwe,” breaking with the Anglican Communion.

The controversial bishop has also enlisted the aid of the government of Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe to consolidate his hold over the diocese. Armed police broke up rival worship services on Jan 13, arresting three priests and a number of lay leaders loyal to Bishop Sebastian Bakare.

In an unprecedented intervention, the Archbishop of Canterbury denounced “unequivocally the use of state machinery to intimidate opponents of the deposed bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga” in a statement released on Jan 14, and declared his support for Dr. Bakare and the Province of Central Africa in the dispute.

At a press conference held Jan 12 at the Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, Dr. Kunonga said “history has been made today in the Anglican Church of Zimbabwe. We have formed our own province. It has been painful and sorrowful but out of that came the joy of our own province. But we are joyful that the grace of God continues to water, lead and inspire us.”

The new province encompasses greater Harare, and would be divided into five dioceses: the Diocese of Harare under Dr. Kunonga, and the new Dioceses of East, Central and West Mashonaland and Chitungwiza. Dr. Kunonga has appointed vicar-generals for the four new dioceses and charged them to convene synods to elect bishops.

In a report of the press conference published by the government backed Harare Sunday Mail, Dr. Kunonga predicted the end to the parish by parish fight for control he was waging against Dr. Bakare.

“After the several meetings that we had, the skirmishes will be a thing of the past. No unlicensed priest will go and conduct a church service at any parish. No parallel services will be allowed in the parishes,” Dr. Kunonga said.
“The board of trustees of the Diocese of Harare is the custodian of all properties of the diocese and no one other than licensed personnel will be allowed to use our facilities,” he added.

Dr. Kunonga’s threat appears to have come to pass, as police wielding batons broke up over 20 worship services led by loyalist priests. At St. Elizabeth’s in Belvedere, “they disrupted the service and asked everyone to leave. One woman who was taking a video was arrested,” a spokesman for Dr. Bakare, the Rev. Christopher Tapera told DPA via telephone from Harare.

At St James Church in the suburb of Warren Park, 16 parishioners loyal to Bishop Bakare were arrested, as was a priest at the parish in Marlborough, while worshippers at Harare’s Cathedral loyal to the Province were given ten minutes to vacate the parish hall or be jailed for unlawful assembly by the police.

On Jan 9 police met with representatives of the two factions, warning them against further public disputes. After the meeting, police posted a warning, saying only priests loyal to Dr. Kunonga would be allowed to lead public worship services in Harare, according to the Sunday Mail.

Dr. Williams said he was “appalled” by the police action and applauded the witness of Harare “clergy [who] have publicly and bravely refused to acknowledge Kunonga’s Episcopal authority.”

Lambeth Palace reported Dr. Williams “stands in solidarity” and the other “loyal Zimbabwean bishops in supporting the acting Bishop of Harare, Bishop Sebastian Bakare.”

ACC Secretary General Canon Kenneth Kearon said he also was “concerned for the well-being of faithful Anglicans who seek to practice their faith in peace and free from violence.”

“Dr. Kunonga’s “close ties with President Robert Mugabe is of deep concern to many and the resort to violent disruption has been widely deplored,” he added.

Lambeth Palace noted Dr. Kunonga’s “position has become increasingly untenable within the Anglican Church over the last year, as he has consistently refused to maintain appropriate levels of independence from the Zimbabwean Government.”

He had not been invited to the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and was not recognized as a Bishop of the Anglican Communion “after illegally separating from the Province of Central Africa and installing himself as archbishop of Zimbabwe” in December.

Plans for the division of the Province of Central Africa into national churches for Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe were discussed at the Sept 10 provincial synod in Malawi. Provincial Secretary the Rev. Eston Pembamayo told The Church of England Newspaper, however, the weakness of the Zimbabwe church was what has held back the division into national churches.

Bishop Bakare’s spokesman told DPA the country’s other four Anglican bishops were in Masvingo to discuss the creation of a national province. However, they were distanced themselves from Dr. Kunonga’s unilateral declaration of independence.

“We are going to follow the proper procedure. You cannot just wake up and announce that you have pulled out of a province hence you are forming a new one. Bishop Kunonga can form the province of Kunonga or whatever he calls it and we don’t care,” Fr. Tapera said.