Pope accepts resignation of outspoken critic of Zimbabwean leadership

Published: 2007-09-11

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Zimbabwean Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, the most outspoken critic of the country's leadership who is also facing allegations of adultery. In an undated letter written by the archbishop and released by the Vatican press office Sept. 11, the archbishop wrote that he offered his resignation to Vatican officials in July to spare sullying the image of the church. The Vatican announced that the pope accepted the archbishop's resignation under Canon 401.2, which covers resignations for illness or some other grave reason. Archbishop Ncube, 60, is being sued for adultery and his case is before the High Court of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. The adultery lawsuit was made public in July and state-run newspapers published photos they said were of Archbishop Ncube and a woman, taken with a concealed camera placed in the archbishop's bedroom. Archbishop Ncube's resignation "is not to be seen as an admission of guilt" to the adultery charges and it "shouldn't have any bearing on the court case," Father Frederick Chiromba, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, said in a Sept. 11 telephone interview from the capital, Harare.

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