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Bishops act unanimously over deposed Kunonga

by
09 January 2008

by Pat Ashworth

THE Bishops of the Church of the Province Central Africa have made public a unanimous statement on the situation in the diocese of Harare. It unequivocally states the position of the deposed Bishop Kunonga, and makes it clear that the licences of all the priests in his faction have been revoked.

Even those bishops who were seen as giving tacit support to Bishop Kunonga in the past have concurred with the statement. Eleven of the 14 were present at an Extraordinary Episcopal Synod in Zambia before Christmas, at which the statement was drawn up. The Archbishop of Central Africa, the Most Revd Bernard Malango, was one of the absentees, but is on record as concurring with the statement.

The bishops officially accepted what they deemed to be Bishop Kunonga’s personal resignation, effected by his action in unilaterally withdrawing Harare from the province, and declared him to be no longer a member of the diocese or a cleric in the Anglican Communion. “His act of schism has been notified to the Anglican Communion worldwide,” say the bishops.

Priests whose licences have been revoked are required to “remove themselves from diocesan property, leaving behind all assets of the diocese”. Every other priest in the diocese is required “to notify Bishop Bakare [the interim Bishop of Harare] of his canonical obedience to him and that he will continue to recognise and be bound by the canons”. All office-holders in the diocese are deemed to have resigned, but are eligible for appointment at Bishop Bakare’s discretion.

In his Epiphany pastoral letter, Dr Bakare speaks of a “joyous” Christmas, despite lock-outs, but says: “It is sad that Christ, who is the Prince of Peace, has been totally misunderstood. Instead of extending the hand of peace, people who call themselves priests were going around leaving their own congregations unattended in order to promote violence, which makes the basic purpose of Christ’s mission a scandal.

“We have become a laughing stock for fellow Christians from other Churches and the public in general. Even some police officers displayed better understanding of the Church’s role than some of those priests.”

He went on to say: “We are very humbled by the level of commitment of those members of our congregations who have stood up for their faith and Church. This is what it can take to be a faithful disciple of Christ.”

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