Churches want ED to appoint Minister of Religious ...

Churches want ED to appoint Minister of Religious Affairs

Zim Now Writer

Council for Churches in Africa president Rocky Moyo has said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should appoint a Minister of Religion for Zimbabwe to succeed.

Moyo also said the ruling Zanu PF must work with the churches to ensure that it wins the forthcoming general elections.

Moyo made remarks on Saturday in Bulawayo at the ordination ceremony of Apostle Pesly Jeremiah of Joshua Generation Ministries held in Mpopoma.

“A country will not succeed without spiritual people. For instance, when you go to England the next person to the king is the archbishop, a spiritual person and then comes the Prime Minister.

“Right now in this country, we are proposing that we have a minister of religion. As long as the President continues to visit churches, this is going to happen.

“And I also said if he keeps going around churches, he is definitely going to get my vote because it means he recognises us as people from the religious sector,” said Moyo.

Moyo claimed that even the colonial authorities recognised the importance of religion, saying Cecil John Rhodes worked with missionary John Smith Moffat when he pushed for the colonisation of Zimbabwe.

He said: “I am saying this because a church is an important place and it’s unfortunate you don’t see this. When we look back into our historical background, the first person to bring a Bible was (missionary John) Moffat who was working together with Cecil John Rhodes.

“The fact that we ran away from politics is the reason why churches have continued to suffer together with the people,” he said.

Zanu PF has been trying to woo the church vote with officials, including Mnangagwa have visited churches, among them traditional churches such as the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, pentecostal churches such as United Family International Church, and apostolic sects in recent months.

During the Easter holiday, Mnangagwa visited the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe in Seke and also attended the Zion Christian Church’s annual Easter Passover festival at Mbungo Estate, Bikita, in Masvingo Province.