Dr Rowan Williams, otherwise known as the Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered what some of his aides are calling the “sermon of his career” when he addressed more than 15 000 Anglicans during his controversial visit to Zimbabwe yesterday. He told them that Mugabe’s tyrannical rule was no better than the colonial rule it had replaced.

The Archbishop didn’t mention Mugabe or his regime by name, but it was clear who he was referring to as he didn’t mince his words.

He spoke to the crowd in a sports hall close to Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare, and emphasised to them how the country’s natural wealth had been frivolously wasted.

For a long period in this country, an anxious ruling class clung on to the power they had seized at the expense of the indigenous people and ignored their rights and their hopes for dignity and political freedom.

How tragic that this should be replaced by another kind of lawlessness, where so many live in daily fear of attack if they fail to comply with what the powerful require of them.

There was also strong reference to the ongoing spat between two factions of Zimbabwe’s Anglican Church.

Mugabe has publicly backed a former bishop, Nolbert Kunonga, whose breakaway Christian group orchestrated a campaign of intimidation against Anglican worshipers, and has taken control of dozens of churches around the country.

Williams called the attacks that have followed on Anglican worshipers “mindless and Godless,” and that the congregation needs to rebuff violence in their “great and troubled country”.

Kunonga himself delivered a message yesterday by attending a stage-managed protest at St Mary’s Cathedral in Harare to around 1 000 followers.

Kunonga said that the Archbishop’s visit was merely a “crusade for gays” and that the Archbishop himself may be gay.

This is a demonstration against homosexuality. I told people to come and demonstrate if they wanted.

Rowan Williams erred by accepting homosexuality and that has broken up the church all over.

But Dr Williams dismissed the faction as one motivated by greed and violence and called for unification.

Homosexual references…

Innocent Richards, a 39-year-old quantity surveyor, told a local publication:

He’s the head of the church. Very, very special. We regard him as a leader. He’s very brave coming to Zimbabwe in view of what’s happening with the Anglican church.

Some of us don’t have anywhere to go. We hold the services under trees because all the properties have been taken. I think he’s here to resolve some of these issues regarding the running of the church.

The Archbishop was due to meet Mugabe today, but it wasn’t clear whether this scathing attack would have resulted in that meeting being cancelled.

[Source: NewZimbabwe]