This Pastoral Letter by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference was formally released yesterday evening, Holy Thursday Mass yesterday evening, in every Catholic Church in Zimbabwe.

‘God Hears The Cry Of The Oppressed’

Pastoral Letter by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the Current Crisis of Our Country Holy Thursday, 5 April 2007

As your Shepherds we have reflected on our national situation and, in the light of the Word of God and Christian Social Teaching, have discerned what we now share with you, in the hope of offering guidance, light and hope in these difficult times.

The Crisis

This Sokwanele comment was published yesterday on Pambazuka News.

A week ago, Zimbabwean pro democracy activists, campaigners, political leaders and supporters tried to attend a rally in Harare, organised by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign. Their purpose was to come together and collectively, peacefully, protest against the terrible conditions in Zimbabwe. The government’s forces were lying in wait for them.

There is no question that food aid is necessary in this country; the lethal cocktail of aids, poverty and malnutrition is quietly killing 3500 every week. While the Mugabe regime is clearly the responsible party for these killings, the victims of this regime cannot be made to suffer more by withholding food aid from them in a bid to punish the government.

If anyone needs to be convinced of the need for food aid, they should read the latest Fews Net report on the hunger situation: