wfn.org | [ACNS] Anglicans call on Zimbabwe Government to halt policies

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 3999     |     ACO     |	  28 JUNE 2005

Anglicans call on Zimbabwe Government to halt policies of destruction

SPECIAL ACNS REPORT
Tuesday, 28 June 2005

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), on the last day of its meeting
in Nottingham, has called on the Government of Zimbabwe to reverse its
policies of destruction and begin to engage in development that
eradicates poverty. The Council also called on the African Union to
persuade the Zimbabwe Government to remedy the suffering of its people
and supported the efforts of the Church of England to encourage the UK
Government to reconsider its policy of repatriating refugees to
Zimbabwe.

After a debate marked by compassion and concern for the people of
Zimbabwe, which included hearing that a Church Army sister in Zimbabwe
had written that "it is as though Bulawayo has been hit by a tsunami",
the Council passed the following resolution:

"The Anglican Consultative Council acknowledges the social and
historical imbalance that the people of Zimbabwe have experienced in the
tenure of their land, their implications the current crisis and the need
for them to be addressed. However, the Council:

- notes with profound sorrow and concern, and condemns, the recent
political developments in Zimbabwe where hundreds of thousands of
persons have had their homes destroyed and have become displaced persons
within their own country, and where:
	- after up to two years of drought many families are dependent
on relief but food distribution is often refused to	those who do not
support the political party in power
	- those suffering from HIV/AIDS and orphans do not receive
appropriate help from the government
	- there are serious restrictions on democracy
	- there is little freedom of speech or tolerance, and human
rights are denied
	- politicians and uniformed forces act as if they are above the
law
	- people are arrested, imprisoned without fair trial, and
tortured.

- asks the government of Zimbabwe to reverse its policies of destruction
and begin to engage in development that eradicates poverty;
- calls upon the leadership of the African Union to persuade the
government of Zimbabwe to consider the humanitarian aspects of the
situation in that country, and to act to remedy the suffering of the
people of Zimbabwe;
- supports the Church of England in its approaches to the government of
the United Kingdom to reconsider its policy of repatriation of refugees
to Zimbabwe;
-welcomes the proposed pastoral visit of church leaders from South
Africa to Zimbabwe to take place in the near future;
assures the Christian churches and the people of Zimbabwe of its prayers
in this time of national disaster."

___________________________________________________________________
ACNSlist, published by Anglican Communion News Service, London, is
distributed to more than 8,000 journalists and other readers around
the world.

For subscription INFORMATION please go to:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/acnslist.html