The Catholic Church's Dialogical Method and Engagement with the Zimbabwean State between 2000 and 2010 (original) (raw)
Related papers
2011
This study serves to evaluate the effectiveness of the Catholic Church"s prophetic voice in the post-independence Zimbabwe. It also serves to show that being prophetic is not enough unless this prophesy engages with the other. This study proposes a dialogical prophetic voice, which engages with the one to whom it is challenging. For the prophetic voice to be dialogical it has to be empathetic and being empathetic in this case points to the ability to understand the other party"s perspective. Understanding in this context does not mean to sympathise or compromise but to be able to see through the eyes of the other party in dialogue in a bid to constructively challenge or criticize the other. This study suggests an Empathetic Dialogical method as central and foundational to an effective dialogical process. It also proposes Bonhoeffer"s Church-State model as a conducive ground for an Empathetic dialogue. The study ultimately wants to show that the ineffectiveness of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe to dialogue with the State is due to its predominately non-empathetic dialogical model. It (the study) specifically points to two trajectories: the first trajectory points to the Catholic Church"s unwillingness to consult the State, while it has a tendency to prescribe for the State. The second trajectory lies in the failure of the Zimbabwean Catholic Church to speak with one voice, which consequently led it to compromise with the State. This study is informed by the suffering Zimbabwean people at the hands of a ruthless regime and a Church whose prophetic voice is ineffective.
‘The March Is Not Ended’: ‘Church’ Confronting the State over the Zimbabwean Crisis
Religions, 2022
The Zimbabwean crisis has been on-going since the year 2000. The various ecumenical bodies of the church in Zimbabwe have been voicing their concerns to the state through meetings and pastoral letters. While the church has been touted as a critical player in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, concerns about the church have been raised. One of these has been the issue of a divided organization that has failed to speak with one voice. With the coming into power of the so called ‘Second Republic’, hopes were raised that the state would be willing to have the crisis resolved. However, the crisis has just worsened, and the church has again been forced to break its silence. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the pastoral letter that was issued by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference on 14 August 2020, titled ‘The March is not Ended’, which sought to respond to the crisis in Zimbabwe. The paper seeks to establish what religious groups can achieve in the event that they set asi...
The Church and Political Transition in Zimbabwe: The Inclusive Government Context
Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 2013
This article explores the role of the church in Zimbabwe's political space with emphasis on the transitional epoch set in motion with the consummation of the Inclusive Government after the signing of the Global Political Agreement on 15 September 2008. Being exploratory in approach, the study preferred a qualitative research design were secondary sources were the major source of data. Departing from the view point that the church and the state are complementary in satisfying human needs, the research established that the church is replete with political activists who are partaking in key political processes envisaged under the transitional phase and the enormity of their participation vary depending on the national issue at hand. More clearly, the church's association with the political parties in the government has been mostly that of a horse-rider relationship where politicians use the church to score cheap political points.
The Church, Politics and the Future of Zimbabwe
Forum Mission 8/2012
"Zusammenfassung Summary Over the last decade the southern African nation of Zimbabwe has been paralysed by a protracted socio-political crisis that still causes immense suffering and violence amongst the population. As the country faces a national referendum for a new constitution and fresh elections, Zimbabwe remains on the brink of a return to political violence and breakdown in the rule of law. With over 80% of Zimbabwe’s population professing to belong to various Christian churches, many stakeholders are now asking whether the churches are ready and able to play a role in fostering democracy and peace in Zimbabwe. This article traces the history of Christian churches’ participation in Zimbabwe’s public affairs. Based on their track record, the article then makes an interpretative analysis of the likely role of the churches in the future of Zimbabwe’s politics and national affairs. The article finds that the churches are a vital social force in the life of the nation and have played various interesting roles from the pre-colonial era till present day. These roles have however not always positively or competently promoted good governance, democracy and peace. However a new generation of church leaders is emerging in Zimbabwe and combined with improvements in other areas, there is every hope that the churches will reclaim their prophetic voice and role as the conscience of the nation. "
Catholic Peace Movement, 2019
Firstly, for us to understand how the CCJPZ work towards Zimbabwe’s Breaking the silence, we have to identify the central terms in the question, which we will use as a foundation to determine whether the question has been adequately answered. For that one has to pick three main concepts from the question, the first concept or term is good governance the second is Zimbabwe and the third presents the period which the study will focus which is from 1990-2000. Good governance reflects the focus of the study, Zimbabwe represents the context and 1990-2000 is the period in which the activities took place. Of the three concepts or terms good governance is the central term or concept of the question. The Human Rights Web page highlight that there is no single and exhaustive definition of good governance but there is however a consensus which relate good governance to political and institutional processes and out comes that are deemed necessary to achieve the goals of development. Looking at the Zimbabwean context within the period stated that is 1990 to 2000 we recognize five categories of terms which are associated with good governance in both negative and positive ways. The first two terms are the constitution and elections. The former represents a system of laws and basic principles that a state, country or organisation is governed. Thus, it can safely be said that the CCJPZ, from 1990-2000 exuded certain indications of self-consciousness. It should then be asked as to why Zimbabwe has not changed for the better.
From the dawn of independence in 1980 to the present day (2020), Zimbabwe has passed through a host of political challenges. These political challenges have adversely affected Zimbabweans socially, politically and economically. In the context of these challenges, the Church has always attempted to play her redemptive part towards the realization of peace and her efforts have resulted in some political settlements such as the 1987 Unity Accord and the 2008 Global Political Agreement. However, in November 2017, Zimbabwe was ushered into a new dispensation after the military led removal of the now late President Robert G. Mugabe from Office. This new dispensation came with the promises of hope in a political, economic and socially tense environment. Sadly, political tension, forceful repressions and economic collapse continue to haunt the ordinary citizens in Zimbabwe. Notably the effects of the 2018 election dispute between MDC Alliance and ZANU PF have caused much social, political and economic suffering in communities. The dispute has negatively impacted the political landscape, economic growth, investor confidence and social unrest. In light of these political, economic and social challenges, the Church, once again, has raised its voice against the continued suffering of people. Pastoral letters have been written by the Church calling upon the political leaders to address the worsening national polarization affecting the innocent citizens warning that if not attended, the situation is likely to result in incessant social chaos. The Zimbabwe Council of Churches as a Christian mother body of protestant churches has come to the limelight by standing out as the voice of the church by tirelessly calling upon the political parties, the business sector and the Zimbabwean community to engage in a constructive national dialogue towards finding a solution to the national problems. The advocacy for dialogue by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches is inclusive of all sectors of the economy and life as it seeks to bring together business people, politicians, government, NGOs, civic society, academics, and people from all walks of life. The Zimbabwe Council of Churches is promoting an all-inclusive political dialogue in the country towards justice, peace, reconciliation and national healing in Zimbabwe. The efforts of the Church towards promoting political dialogue in Zimbabwe as a solution to national polarization has stimulated the interest of this research.
The Ecumenical Conception of Public Life Praxis: The Case of Zimbabwe
Journal of Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics and Theology
This article discusses the ecumenical conception of public life praxis in postcolonial Zimbabwe as well as the church’s actions to salvage the deteriorating national crisis including the leveling of the political field in the early 2000s. The views of the church are derived from the experiences of the union of ecumenical church organizations formed in 2007 called the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD). The ZHOCD, composes of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, and the Union for the Development of Apostolic (and Zionist) Churches in Zimbabwe, Africa. The study uses literature, augmented by informal discussions that focused on how the church sought the protection of people’s lives. The study found that the ZHOCD intervened at various critical periods when public life began to degenerate due to state-induced corruption, election violence, and crime. In fact, the church built up specialist org...
Socio-Political Agenda for the Twenty-First Century Zimbabwean Church
Edwin Mellen Press, 2006
This book deals primarily with the interface between religion and politics in the public square in Africa, in general, and Zimbabwe, in particular. The thesis is that Christian religion has a huge potential of democratizing the contemporary Zimbabwean social and political space. The book argues for a contextual theology that takes into serious consideration both social and political realities in the creation of democratic spaces. In Zimbabwe, the church and the school are generally the main foci of social life of the village in most communities. The absence of a strong civil society, independent press and independent judiciary system calls for the church and the school to play important roles in the construction of a democratic social and political order. Ordinary citizens interact on almost a daily basis with these two institutions on a village level.