FIERY cleric, Patrick Mugadza of the #MugabeMustFall campaign, deposed a petition at the Vatican Embassy in Harare yesterday, asking the Roman Catholic to excommunicate President Robert Mugabe on the basis of his alleged misrule and rampant human rights violations.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Mugadza, in his petition to Pope Francis, which was received by Father Gabriel Pesce, said Mugabe had trampled upon so many people’s rights and deserved to be excommunicated.
He called for the church’s intervention, saying the situation in the country was extremely bad and remedial action was needed as soon as possible.
“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 the petition.
“The situation has been deteriorating for the past 20 years and now the economy is in a free-fall, while the government is on auto-pilot as his age cannot allow him to function as he should. The health and education systems are nothing to write home about, hence, his uncountable trips to Asia for better treatment and his children and those around him have their children out of Zimbabwe.”
Mugadza said Mugabe was a Catholic, hence the request for Pope Francis’s intervention.
“The President tells us that he is a practicing Catholic, hence, petitioning you to help our nation before he fulfils his promise of crushing anyone who dares to speak sense. 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 suffering,” read the petition.
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Mugadza said the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe could elaborate further on how Mugabe had run down the country, while trampling on people’s rights.
“I believe what has been mentioned here and more of what your research will show is going to cause your heart to break and do the right thing. To us silence, Your Holiness, is sentencing us to more oppression,” he said.
Mugadza rose to fame last year in Victoria Falls when he staged a solo demonstration against Mugabe at the Zanu PF annual national conference.
From there, he embarked on numerous other protests including the #MugabeMustFall prayer for 40 days, which he staged at Africa Unity Square, which ended last month.
