Church in the World

Police crush prayer rally

Zimbabwe

During the violent suppression of a prayer rally in Harare on Sunday in which one person was killed, riot police threw tear-gas canisters into a Catholic church, forcing worshippers to flee and neighbouring churches to close. A service at St Mary's Catholic Church was abandoned when riot policemen forced the congregation to disperse. All of the several dozen churches in Harare's Highfield township, where the rally had been due to take place, then closed to worshippers for the day.

A protester, Gift Tandare, was shot dead, and 110 people were arrested when police blocked the ecumenical Save Zimbabwe Campaign prayer rally. Hundreds of uniformed and riot police manned roadblocks in the area using water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds who turned up for the event, which had been banned by police. Thousands had been expected at the rally at the Zimbabwe Grounds stadium but the massive police presence from the early hours of the morning reduced the numbers to about 1,000.

The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a rival MDC faction, were among scores of opponents of Robert Mugabe's Government who were detained. Mr Tsvangirai was also savagely assaulted.

"People should seize the chance to take back power from the dictator," Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo told The Tablet on Tuesday. "I deplore violence but this totally heartless leader needs to go." Archbishop Ncube said that he had been impressed with Mr Mutambara, who "has tremendous vision and is people-centred", though "of course, once people are in power they can behave very differently". As a result of the Mugabe dictatorship Zimbabwe is suffering from massive food shortages, 1,700 per cent inflation and 80 per cent unemployment. Life expectancy, at 34 for women and 37 for men, is the lowest in the world. Robert Mugabe is 83, and plans to stand again for the presidency in 2008.