Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07HARARE284
2007-04-04 15:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Harare
Cable title:
CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE RELEASES HARD-HITTING
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000284
SIPDIS
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ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E.LOKEN
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B.PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE RELEASES HARD-HITTING
PASTORAL LETTER
HARARE 00000284 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d
-------
Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000284
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S.HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E.LOKEN
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B.PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE RELEASES HARD-HITTING
PASTORAL LETTER
HARARE 00000284 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (C) The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Zimbabwe is
releasing April 5 a pastoral letter which blames the
suffering of the Zimbabwean people on a small black elite
which replaced a small while elite, and has perpetuated
colonial-like misrule. The letter refers to the assault,
beating, and torture of unarmed demonstrators and detainees,
and calls for a new constitution and the repeal of repressive
legislation. Harare Archbishop Robert Ndlovu told polecon
chief that the letter has already circulated in Harare where
local officials were accusing priests of affiliation with the
MDC. Ndlovu said the Conference would meet again at the end
of April to gauge the GOZ's reaction and consider next steps.
He added the Conference may ask the Vatican to comment on
the letter. While such comment might have little effect on
the GOZ, we believe it could serve to focus international
attention on the misdeeds of the Mugabe government. End
Summary.
--------------
Pastoral Letter
--------------
2. (U) The letter, entitled "God Hears The Cry Of The
Oppressed," begins by declaring that "the people of Zimbabwe
are suffering.8 It ascribes the resulting anger to &bad
governance and corruption." It goes on to note that after
members of the government and opposition profess loyalty to
the same Church and participate in Church rituals, the next
day "Christian State Agents, policemen and soldiers assault
and beat peaceful, unarmed demonstrators and torture
detainees."
3. (U) Referring to the crisis of governance, the letter
goes on to discuss the deteriorating health system,
educational sector, infrastructure, and public transport
system. It notes that two years after Operation
Muranbatsvina, thousands are without homes and that "that
inexcusable injustice has not been forgotten." It condemns
the "radical land reform programme" and states that as a
result of the program many are hungry and unemployed. The
section on governance concludes, "The list of justified
grievances is long and could go on for many pages....The
suffering people of Zimbabwe are groaning in agony:
'Watchman, how much longer is the night.' (Is 21:11)"
4. (U) The letter states that "being elected to a position
of leadership is not a license to do as one pleases(" and
claims that after independence the wealth and power of the
tiny white elite was &appropriated by an equally exclusive
black elite." The letter goes on to note that the present
crisis has colonial roots; the colonial structures of
pre-independence Zimbabwe persist today and have been
reinforced by enactment of repressive legislation such as the
Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). "It
almost appears as though someone sat down with the
Declaration of Human Rights and deliberately scrubbed out
each in turn." Repressive legislation was enacted, according
to the letter, by the black elites intent on perpetuating
HARARE 00000284 002.2 OF 003
their power.
5. (U) The Conference, in the letter, states that the
confrontation in the country has reached a flashpoint. As
the suffering population seeks to protest, "the State
responds with ever harsher oppression through arrests,
detentions, banning orders, beatings, and torture." The
Conference calls for a new constitution, free and fair
elections, and repeal of repressive legislation. (Note. We
are sending the letter by unclassified email to AF/S. End
Note.)
--------------
The Genesis of the Letter
--------------
6. (C) Archbishop Ndlovu told us the situation in Zimbabwe
was "pathetic." People were resigned to oppression and
scarcity of food, and he did not think they would take to the
streets in protest. He thought the end of the Mugabe era was
near, but it was taking longer than expected. He was
concerned that with food scarcity, due to drought and
government mismanagement of agriculture, the government could
use food assistance as a tool in the upcoming election.
7. (C) Against this backdrop, Ndlovu said the Bishops'
Conference drafted the pastoral letter. However, it was
overtaken by the violent events of March 11 and afterward.
The Conference subsequently redrafted the letter to put
greater emphasis on government-sponsored violence.
--------------
GOZ Reaction to the Letter
--------------
8. (C) While the letter was not to be released until April
5, Holy Thursday, Ndlovu said it had already been circulated
on the Internet. Several Harare priests had notified him
that ocal GOZ officials had threateningly accused them f
collaboration with the MDC. Ndlovu opined tha after the
letter is formally released the GOZ wuld not formally
respond to it, but would criticze it privately. He added
that the Church was seeking dialogue over a new Constitution,
but the GZ was now in election mode and probably not
interesting in talking. The recent upsurge in violence was
an element of its elections strategy.
--------------
The Conference,s Next Steps
--------------
9. (C) Ndlovu said the Conference of Bishops would meet
again at the end of April to take stock of the GOZ's reaction
to the letter. A request to Rome for comment on the letter
was a possibility. If such a request were made, he believed
the Vatican would honor it. He was skeptical, however, of
any effect it would have on the government or on Zimbabwe in
general. (Note. According to Ndlovu, Catholicism is the
largest organized religion in Zimbabwe. Fifteen percent of
Zimbabweans are Catholics, approximately 500,000 people in
Harare out of 1.5 million in the country. The next largest
organized groups are Methodists and Anglicans. About 60
percent of Zimbabweans are &traditionalists,8 with some
claiming to be Christians. End Note.)
HARARE 00000284 003.2 OF 003
--------------
Mugabe and Catholicism
--------------
10. Ndlovu said that Mugabe often referred to the importance
of his Catholic upbringing. Ndlovu said he had met with
Mugabe privately on one occasion and that Mugabe had not
wanted to discuss Catholicism in the context of contemporary
Zimbabwe. Ndlovu added that recent efforts to meet with
Mugabe had been to no avail.
--------------
Bio Note
--------------
11. (C) Like his outspoken and controversial colleague,
Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Ndlovu is an Ndbele. He
appears to share many of Ncube's sentiments about the
government and current conditions in Zimbabwe, but is a
consensus builder and prefers to move deliberately. Ndlovu
was born and raised in Western Zimbabwe. He received an
undergraduate degree in theology from the University of
Zimbabwe and a graduate degree in scripture from the Catholic
University of East Africa in Nairobi. He trained priests for
a number of years in Harare. Before assuming his present
position about two years ago, he was a bishop in Hwange.
--------------
Comment
--------------
12. (C) The pastoral letter is an explicit and forceful
document that lays blame for the suffering of the Zimbabwean
people squarely on the government. It includes some of the
most forthright criticism we have ever seen from Africans
about how the Mugabe regime has betrayed and perverted the
ideals of liberation, and it represents a direct attack on
Mugabe,s legitimacy which he justifies almost exclusively on
his liberation credentials.
13. (C) Ndlovu is probably right when he says the government
will try to publicly ignore the letter while privately adding
its authors to its ever-growing list of enemies. He is
probably also right that comment from the Vatican would have
little effect on the GOZ. It would, however, get
international attention, particularly among those members of
the European Union that have been conciliatory toward
Zimbabwe, which include the largely Catholic southern
European countries. We will follow up with Ndlovu later this
month, after the next Bishops' Conference, and urge him to
pursue support from the Vatican. End Comment
DELL
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S.HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E.LOKEN
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B.PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE RELEASES HARD-HITTING
PASTORAL LETTER
HARARE 00000284 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (C) The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Zimbabwe is
releasing April 5 a pastoral letter which blames the
suffering of the Zimbabwean people on a small black elite
which replaced a small while elite, and has perpetuated
colonial-like misrule. The letter refers to the assault,
beating, and torture of unarmed demonstrators and detainees,
and calls for a new constitution and the repeal of repressive
legislation. Harare Archbishop Robert Ndlovu told polecon
chief that the letter has already circulated in Harare where
local officials were accusing priests of affiliation with the
MDC. Ndlovu said the Conference would meet again at the end
of April to gauge the GOZ's reaction and consider next steps.
He added the Conference may ask the Vatican to comment on
the letter. While such comment might have little effect on
the GOZ, we believe it could serve to focus international
attention on the misdeeds of the Mugabe government. End
Summary.
--------------
Pastoral Letter
--------------
2. (U) The letter, entitled "God Hears The Cry Of The
Oppressed," begins by declaring that "the people of Zimbabwe
are suffering.8 It ascribes the resulting anger to &bad
governance and corruption." It goes on to note that after
members of the government and opposition profess loyalty to
the same Church and participate in Church rituals, the next
day "Christian State Agents, policemen and soldiers assault
and beat peaceful, unarmed demonstrators and torture
detainees."
3. (U) Referring to the crisis of governance, the letter
goes on to discuss the deteriorating health system,
educational sector, infrastructure, and public transport
system. It notes that two years after Operation
Muranbatsvina, thousands are without homes and that "that
inexcusable injustice has not been forgotten." It condemns
the "radical land reform programme" and states that as a
result of the program many are hungry and unemployed. The
section on governance concludes, "The list of justified
grievances is long and could go on for many pages....The
suffering people of Zimbabwe are groaning in agony:
'Watchman, how much longer is the night.' (Is 21:11)"
4. (U) The letter states that "being elected to a position
of leadership is not a license to do as one pleases(" and
claims that after independence the wealth and power of the
tiny white elite was &appropriated by an equally exclusive
black elite." The letter goes on to note that the present
crisis has colonial roots; the colonial structures of
pre-independence Zimbabwe persist today and have been
reinforced by enactment of repressive legislation such as the
Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). "It
almost appears as though someone sat down with the
Declaration of Human Rights and deliberately scrubbed out
each in turn." Repressive legislation was enacted, according
to the letter, by the black elites intent on perpetuating
HARARE 00000284 002.2 OF 003
their power.
5. (U) The Conference, in the letter, states that the
confrontation in the country has reached a flashpoint. As
the suffering population seeks to protest, "the State
responds with ever harsher oppression through arrests,
detentions, banning orders, beatings, and torture." The
Conference calls for a new constitution, free and fair
elections, and repeal of repressive legislation. (Note. We
are sending the letter by unclassified email to AF/S. End
Note.)
--------------
The Genesis of the Letter
--------------
6. (C) Archbishop Ndlovu told us the situation in Zimbabwe
was "pathetic." People were resigned to oppression and
scarcity of food, and he did not think they would take to the
streets in protest. He thought the end of the Mugabe era was
near, but it was taking longer than expected. He was
concerned that with food scarcity, due to drought and
government mismanagement of agriculture, the government could
use food assistance as a tool in the upcoming election.
7. (C) Against this backdrop, Ndlovu said the Bishops'
Conference drafted the pastoral letter. However, it was
overtaken by the violent events of March 11 and afterward.
The Conference subsequently redrafted the letter to put
greater emphasis on government-sponsored violence.
--------------
GOZ Reaction to the Letter
--------------
8. (C) While the letter was not to be released until April
5, Holy Thursday, Ndlovu said it had already been circulated
on the Internet. Several Harare priests had notified him
that ocal GOZ officials had threateningly accused them f
collaboration with the MDC. Ndlovu opined tha after the
letter is formally released the GOZ wuld not formally
respond to it, but would criticze it privately. He added
that the Church was seeking dialogue over a new Constitution,
but the GZ was now in election mode and probably not
interesting in talking. The recent upsurge in violence was
an element of its elections strategy.
--------------
The Conference,s Next Steps
--------------
9. (C) Ndlovu said the Conference of Bishops would meet
again at the end of April to take stock of the GOZ's reaction
to the letter. A request to Rome for comment on the letter
was a possibility. If such a request were made, he believed
the Vatican would honor it. He was skeptical, however, of
any effect it would have on the government or on Zimbabwe in
general. (Note. According to Ndlovu, Catholicism is the
largest organized religion in Zimbabwe. Fifteen percent of
Zimbabweans are Catholics, approximately 500,000 people in
Harare out of 1.5 million in the country. The next largest
organized groups are Methodists and Anglicans. About 60
percent of Zimbabweans are &traditionalists,8 with some
claiming to be Christians. End Note.)
HARARE 00000284 003.2 OF 003
--------------
Mugabe and Catholicism
--------------
10. Ndlovu said that Mugabe often referred to the importance
of his Catholic upbringing. Ndlovu said he had met with
Mugabe privately on one occasion and that Mugabe had not
wanted to discuss Catholicism in the context of contemporary
Zimbabwe. Ndlovu added that recent efforts to meet with
Mugabe had been to no avail.
--------------
Bio Note
--------------
11. (C) Like his outspoken and controversial colleague,
Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Ndlovu is an Ndbele. He
appears to share many of Ncube's sentiments about the
government and current conditions in Zimbabwe, but is a
consensus builder and prefers to move deliberately. Ndlovu
was born and raised in Western Zimbabwe. He received an
undergraduate degree in theology from the University of
Zimbabwe and a graduate degree in scripture from the Catholic
University of East Africa in Nairobi. He trained priests for
a number of years in Harare. Before assuming his present
position about two years ago, he was a bishop in Hwange.
--------------
Comment
--------------
12. (C) The pastoral letter is an explicit and forceful
document that lays blame for the suffering of the Zimbabwean
people squarely on the government. It includes some of the
most forthright criticism we have ever seen from Africans
about how the Mugabe regime has betrayed and perverted the
ideals of liberation, and it represents a direct attack on
Mugabe,s legitimacy which he justifies almost exclusively on
his liberation credentials.
13. (C) Ndlovu is probably right when he says the government
will try to publicly ignore the letter while privately adding
its authors to its ever-growing list of enemies. He is
probably also right that comment from the Vatican would have
little effect on the GOZ. It would, however, get
international attention, particularly among those members of
the European Union that have been conciliatory toward
Zimbabwe, which include the largely Catholic southern
European countries. We will follow up with Ndlovu later this
month, after the next Bishops' Conference, and urge him to
pursue support from the Vatican. End Comment
DELL