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(HERALD) ‘Anglican Parishioner’ missed the real point

‘Anglican Parishioner’ missed the real point

EDITOR — I hope this time around you will find it expedient to publish this letter in your widely-read paper, as it is, in fact, my reply and comment to the letter entitled "Bishops, priests don’t own Anglican Church" by an anonymous "Anglican Parishioner", which you published on December 25 , 2009.

In my view, the "Anglican Parishioner" is not terribly clear about his use of the phrase "Anglican Church" — whether he means the Harare Anglican Church as a building or the Anglican Church as a faith practised by Anglicans the world over.

Nevertheless, I am inclined to deduce that it is about the "ownership" of the Cathedral Church and its other church buildings in the Anglican Diocese of Harare in our Zimbabwean setting.

In order to clarify and remove any doubts or misunderstandings as to which bishop or which Anglican faction now owns the Anglican Cathedral in Harare and all the other church buildings in the Diocese of Harare, I quote hereunder what the High Court ordered on July 24 2009.

1. "It is ordered: that the following persons be and are hereby declared the Diocesan Trustees of the Diocese of Harare who constitute the Diocesan Board:

a) Bishop Dr Nolbert Kunonga

b) Some seven listed current Trustees (directly under the charge, control, leadership, chairmanship and headed by the legitimately installed and enthroned Dr Bishop Kunonga

(D.D)

1. That the property of the Diocese of Harare whether movable or immovable owned by the Church within the Diocese of Harare vests in the Diocesan Trustees mentioned in paragraph one above.

2. That the respondent (whoever he or she was) is hereby ordered to give vacant possession or occupation and control to the Diocesan Board within 7 (seven) days failing which the Deputy Sheriff with the assistance of ZRP is hereby authorised to take occupation or possession of any assets of the Diocese of Harare and to hand over any assets or possession to the board" (headed by Dr Nolbert Kunonga).

This in my humble submission is definitive and clearly orders the ZRP to help restore order and recover the property from "usurpers" to Bishop Kunonga’s control. There is no human rights violation by Chihuri’s police, we usually hear about. With my greatest respect to the justices and the "Anglican Parishioner", I totally fail to understand or fathom where the question of slots "or sharing of worshipping times with "invaders" or usurpers comes in now which some quarters’ advocate vehemently.

Rather baffling and intriguing indeed to me, to say the least!

This ownership of properties is further made abundantly clear by the "Acts", or Constitution of the Diocese or Harare, which is autonomous, by the way.

The constitution or Acts clearly state: "For the avoidance of doubt, it is declared that all property, whether movable or immovable, owned by the Church within the Diocese, of Harare is vested in the Diocesan Trustees . . ." (currently headed legally by Bishop Kunonga).

How clearer can this be, Mr Diocesan Parishioner?

Concerned Anglican.
Harare.

Labels: ANGLICAN CHURCH

posted by MrK @ 7:32 PM