New Zimbabwean archbishop says ethnic differences won't cause tension

Published: 2004-08-31

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- The new archbishop of Harare, Zimbabwe, said ethnic differences between him and most Catholics in the archdiocese will not cause tensions. "I see my appointment as pastoral and don't associate it with any political agenda," Archbishop Robert Ndlovu, former bishop of Hwange, Zimbabwe, said in an Aug. 24 telephone interview from Harare. "I see my role as uniting people," he said. Archbishop Ndlovu, like Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, is from the minority Ndebele ethnic group of western Zimbabwe. Most Zimbabweans are from the majority Shona ethnic group. Archbishop Ndlovu's Aug. 21 installation at the Harare sports center was attended by thousands of people, including the country's other five bishops, prelates representing neighboring countries and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

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