A Zimbabwean pastor on Tuesday petitioned the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, to excommunicate President Robert Mugabe for running down the country’s economy and exposing the country’s citizens to poverty.
Pastor Phillip Mugadza, who first made headlines in December last year when he was arrested for staging a one-man demonstration against Mugabe at the Zanu-PF conference in Victoria Falls, handed in the petition at the Catholic Nunciature in Zimbabwe.
The petition was handed over to Father Gabriel Pesce, the secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Zimbabwe. The Catholic Nunciature is like an embassy representing the pope in the country.
“We of the above-mentioned nation hereby hand you this petition asking you to excommunicate the president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The nation and its peace-loving people have been subjected to poverty of unimaginable levels when Zimbabwe is endowed with all minerals discovered so far,” read part of the petition.
The petition noted that since Mugabe called himself a Catholic, it was only proper for Zimbabweans to petition the pope to help the country before the ageing leader carried out his threats to crush all dissenting voices.
“We so very much Your Holiness beg for your intervention. We are so very much aware of how you are so compassionate about the oppressed and the suffering. 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,” the petition read.
Mugadza later told journalists after handing over the petition that it was his hope that the pope would see sense in the petition and take action.
