Pope Endorses Zim Criticism

Harare, Zimbabwe - POPE Benedict XVI on Saturday endorsed the stance taken by Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe in condemning the state-sponsored "clean-up" operation and government's human rights record.

The Pope said Zimbabwean bishops should remain "a voice that speaks with authority on what is right and true of peace and justice".

"In your preaching and teaching the faithful should be able to hear the voice of the Lord himself, a voice that speaks with authority of what is right and true, of peace and justice, of love and reconciliation, a voice that can console them in the midst of their troubles and show them the way forward in hope," the Pope said in an address at the end of the bishops' visit.

A Zimbabwean delegation comprising eleven members of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference visited the Vatican during the five-yearly ad Limina Apostolorum where the Pope commended them for the action they had taken.

The bishops who visited the Vatican include the Archbishop of Harare, Robert Ndlovu, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, Archbishop Alexio Muchabaiwa of Mutare, Archbishop Michael Basera of Masvingo (president), Bishop Angel Floro of Gokwe, and Auxillary Bishop Patrick Mutume of Mutare.

Others in attendance were Fathers Alfonse Mapfumo, Father Matthew Jonga and Father Albert Serrano.

The Pope said with the publication of the bishops' pastoral letter, The Cry of the Poor, the delegation had brought the wisdom of the Gospel and the rich heritage of the Church's social doctrine to bear upon the thinking and practical judgments of the faithful both in their daily lives and in their efforts to act as upright members of the community.

The bishops described Operation Murambatsvina as "cruel and inhumane".

President Mugabe is a devout Catholic.

"Amid the difficulties of the present moment, the Church in Zimbabwe can rejoice in the presence of so many communities vibrant in faith. Future priests, for their part, should be helped to present the fullness of the Catholic faith in a way which truly addresses and responds to people's difficulties, questions and problems," the Pope said.