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Church turns to UN over Zimbabwe Church turns to UN over Zimbabwe
(about 18 hours later)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has issued a powerful challenge to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene in Zimbabwe. Two of the most senior figures in the Anglican Church have issued a powerful challenge to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene in Zimbabwe.
He is asking for effective action to protect Christians from what he says is the brutality being used against them. The archbishops of Canterbury and Cape Town accused Zimbabwe's security forces of targeting church-goers in a violent campaign against the opposition.
Dr Williams warned last month Zimbabwe was poised on the brink of disaster. The call came as opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai launched his campaign for a presidential run-off on 27 June.
Now he has called on Mr Ban to explain what is being done to prevent murderous, state-organised violence, directed especially against Anglicans. He accused President Robert Mugabe of reducing the country to "despair".
The archbishop has watched with dismay and frustration as the Zimbabwean police have attacked political activists and singled out Anglicans for harsh treatment, while the country's neighbours in southern Africa have appeared unwilling to act. Now he seems ready to shame the UN into taking effective action. He said his rival was to blame for giving Zimbabwe the highest inflation in the world and one of the worst education systems.
Beaten and banished There is a continuing failure to enforce court orders permitting Anglicans to worship in their cathedral church in Harare and other parishes Dr Rowan Williams class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7424224.stm">Diary: Campaigning kicks off
"We are concerned to know what the UN Security Council... is doing to defend Mothers' Union meetings at churches and prevent people being torn away from altar rails on the orders of ruling party or state official," said Dr Williams. "The state of our nation today is a state of despair," he said.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader said that he the campaign of violence must stop.
"There will be no tolerance or amnesty for those who continue to injure, rape and murder our citizens," he told an audience in the capital, Harare.
"We consider these acts as criminal acts, not political acts."
'Plead'
In a statement, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, said there was a sharp escalation of violence two weeks ago when police and security forces disrupted Sunday services and beat worshipers.
In one case, they beat women as they knelt in front of the altar in the act of taking the bread and wine of the communion service.
Zimbabwe's turbulent priestsZimbabwe's turbulent priests
"We plead once more for immediate high level SADC [Southern African Development Community] and UN mediation and monitoring to ensure a free and fair presidential run-off, and the protection of its citizens from state-organised violence." "We are concerned to know what the UN Security Council... is doing to defend Mothers' Union meetings at churches and prevent people being torn away from altar rails on the orders of ruling party or state official," the statement said.
For several weeks the police have disrupted Anglican services in Zimbabwe and attacked worshippers with batons. In one case they beat women as they knelt in front of the altar in the act of taking the bread and wine of the communion service. "We plead once more for immediate high level Sadc [Southern African Development Community] and UN mediation and monitoring to ensure a free and fair presidential run-off, and the protection of its citizens from state-organised violence."
Anglicans have been targeted since the Church replaced former Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, who was a strong supporter of President Robert Mugabe. Since then the deposed bishop has been able to prevent Anglicans getting into the cathedral. The BBC's religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says Anglicans have been targeted since the Church replaced former Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, who was a strong supporter of President Mugabe.
Since then, the deposed bishop has been able to prevent Anglicans getting into the cathedral.
Dr Williams said: "There is a continuing failure to enforce court orders permitting Anglicans to worship in their cathedral church in Harare and other parishes."Dr Williams said: "There is a continuing failure to enforce court orders permitting Anglicans to worship in their cathedral church in Harare and other parishes."
'World issue''World issue'
Other Anglican leaders have gone on record demanding that the international community take responsibility for dealing with the violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe. Our correspondent says other Anglican leaders have gone on record demanding that the international community take responsibility for dealing with the violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe.
The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, himself once a refugee from Idi Amin's Uganda, last year cut up his clerical collar live on BBC television, promising to go without one until Robert Mugabe had gone. Several Anglican leaders have been outspoken on Zimbabwe
The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, once a refugee from Idi Amin's Uganda, last year cut up his clerical collar live on BBC television, promising to go without one until Mr Mugabe had gone.
He issued a joint statement with Dr Williams last month calling on Zimbabwe's neighbours to act far more robustly to avert a "spiral of communal violence".He issued a joint statement with Dr Williams last month calling on Zimbabwe's neighbours to act far more robustly to avert a "spiral of communal violence".
Dr Sentamu said on that occasion: "I didn't believe the softy-softly approach of [South African President] Thabo Mbeki would work.Dr Sentamu said on that occasion: "I didn't believe the softy-softly approach of [South African President] Thabo Mbeki would work.
"I think it's time we acknowledged that African countries are sometimes incapable of creating good governance on their own."I think it's time we acknowledged that African countries are sometimes incapable of creating good governance on their own.
"We must stop saying this is just an African problem... this is an international problem.""We must stop saying this is just an African problem... this is an international problem."
Rowan Williams has now reinforced the call for international action, and pointedly directed it at Mr Ban. Our reporter says that the head of the Anglican Communion is telling the UN Security Council that someone must take responsibility for Zimbabwe, that doing nothing is not enough and the ball is now in the UN's court.
The head of the Anglican Communion is telling the UN Security Council that someone must take responsibility for Zimbabwe, that doing nothing is not enough and the ball is now in the UN's court.