Liberia's church strike widens

The Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) has backed a Roman Catholic bishop in his row with an MP from President Charles Taylor's ruling party.

The LCC Statement Said, "The malicious attack on the renowned bishop is tantamount to attacking the body of Christ which is the church."

Activities at all church-related health and learning institutions throughout the country were seriously disrupted.

Sando Johnson, a member of the governing National Patriotic Party, had accused Bishop Michael Francis of being immoral and involvement in the killings of five Catholic nuns in 1992.

The Catholic Church shut down all its institutions on Friday in protest of the allegations.

Students who tested the effectiveness of the strike action, returned home when they found all school doors shut.

Education Minister Evelyn Kandakai has described the situation as "unfortunate" but says the ministry alone cannot resolve the matter.

Distanced

Bishop Michael Francis has often criticised the government of President Charles Taylor, saying it has a poor human rights record.

Calling on all Christians across the nation to join the solidarity action, the Liberia Council of Churches said: "The malicious attack on the renowned bishop is tantamount to attacking the body of Christ which is the Church."

"A part of a parcel is a part of the whole," the LCC statement said, describing Representative Sando Johnson's allegation against Bishop Francis as "disheartening, unwarranted, diabolical and repugnant".

President Charles Taylor has distanced his government from the legislator's action, but this has not calmed the situation.

And in a statement this morning, the government urged the church leaders to call off the protest action in the interest of education and the health of the of Liberian people.

The government maintains that Sando Johnson's allegations against Bishop Francis were his personal views.

But the Council of Churches disagrees. Its statement argued that "when an official who holds such a high office speaks, he cannot separate himself from his office."

Mr Johnson has shown no regrets for his allegations despite mounting criticism.