Zimbabwe pastor urges Pope Francis to excommunicate President Mugabe
A Zimbabwean pastor based in Kariba sent a petition to Pope Francis asking him to excommunicate President Robert Mugabe for alleged human rights violations to those who protested against his rule.
According to a report from New Zimbabwe, Pastor Patrick Mugadza submitted his petition on Tuesday to Father Gabriel Pesce, the secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Zimbabwe.
"The president tells us that he is a practicing Catholic, hence we are petitioning you to help our nation before he fulfils his promise of crushing anyone who dares to speak sense," Mugadza wrote in the petition
Mugadza, leader of the Remnant Church, stated that the nation has been subjected to poverty even though minerals have been discovered within its borders.
"According to Romans 13:4, a leader is a representative of God here on earth but according to the given account, there is no proof of godly representation in his leadership," he continued.
Mugadza noted that Mugabe, at age 92, is now "too old to run the country effectively." The president is seeking another five-year term in the 2018 elections.
The petition also mentioned that the Catholic Church has records of Mugabe's atrocities against Zimbabweans, referring to the Gukurahundi campaign in the 1980s which killed around 20,000 civilians.
The pastor encouraged Zimbabweans to participate in a week-long demonstration against Mugabe. He urged the people to call the national radio and television stations to ask Mugabe to step down.
Mugadza gained media attention in December when he participated in a one-man protest at the Victoria Falls resort where Mugabe's party, Zanu PF, was holding a conference.
In another protest last April, he chained himself to a pole while holding a cross in one hand and a Bible in the other.
Mugabe declared a state of disaster in February and asked for foreign and domestic help when it was revealed that about a quarter of its citizens were going hungry. The food shortage was blamed on the El Nino phenomenon which caused drought in southern Africa.
