Church apology not enough, says rights activist

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has apologised for "not having done enough at a time when the nation has looked to us for guidance" during the current crisis. A news release on the website of Christian Aid, a ZCC partner organisation, said the ZCC was apologising for "standing by while its country's people have starved to death due to food shortages, and while violence, rape, intimidation and torture have 'ravaged the nation'". According to Christian Aid a communiqué issued at the council's annual general meeting earlier this month said the churches "have watched as children have been forced onto the streets out of poverty". It quoted the communiqué as saying that "while the church has noted all these developments, and while we have continued to pray, we have not been moved to action ... We as a council apologise to the people of Zimbabwe for not having done enough at a time when the nation has looked to us for guidance". But the churches' apology has left some commentators under-whelmed. "We've heard many apologies before," said human rights activist Brian Kogoro. As to the significance of the churches' statement, Kogoro commented: "After the Matabeleland massacre [in the 1980s] the churches issued an apology and condemned the genocide, so for those of us who have been monitoring church involvement in socio-economic, political and justice issues, we are waiting to see something more than just an apology. "We are waiting to see what practical steps aimed at dealing with the current situation [will be taken]. We are waiting to see the church taking a decisive position on human rights; a tough position on the issue of political transition and repressive legislation." He added that "whilst the apology might serve to soothe their moral and religious sense of duty", it did not ease the circumstances of ordinary Zimbabweans.