Episcopal News Service has the following report:
“Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, of the Diocese of Massachusetts, visited Harare, Zimbabwe, between May 26 and June 3, on behalf of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at the invitation of Bishop Sebastian Bakare of Harare to witness the ongoing religious and political violence among the people of Zimbabwe. Shaw bore the Presiding Bishop’s message of solidarity with Anglicans there who are suffering from oppression and human rights violations, including lockouts from their churches and physical violence. For security reasons, no advance notice about the trip was published.
As a result of his visit, Bishop Shaw has written a formal statement that will be shared with the United States Congress as well as the larger Anglican Communion.
From his statement:
What I have seen and experienced on this trip only magnifies my agreement with the call by church and political leaders around the world for far stronger international action to contain Zimbabwe’s rapidly escalating political crisis.
[…]I was asked to travel to the Diocese of Harare to express the church’s solidarity with our Anglican brothers and sisters who suffer under this profound oppression and to gather information for the Presiding Bishop about the political situation there. I interviewed some 50 priests, lay people and human rights lawyers in Harare over the course of my one-week stay. I also met with U.S. Embassy staff.
I can report that the situation in Zimbabwe is indeed grave. What we read and hear is true. There are widespread violations of human rights, daily reports of murder and torture and an economic and humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions. The inflation rate is one million percent and unemployment ranges between 80-90%. I have seen the long lines for gas and at banks and experienced the limited electricity and clean water and virtually empty shelves in supermarkets. The judiciary has been compromised as members of the high courts and Supreme Court have directly benefited from President Mugabe’s so-called “land reforms,” fueling corruption and violations of civil liberties.
According to the Zimbabwe constitution, citizens are entitled to freedom of religious expression and conscience but these rights are being violated daily. Thousands of Anglican worshipers have been locked out of their churches, their church properties have been occupied by government-backed allies and their personal automobiles have been confiscated. One local priest must move from house to house every night to avoid possible arrest. A nine-year-old boy and a widowed mother of five children were beaten by police for failing to leave their church site.
Read the full article here. Read the Boston Globe report here (includes link to video).