Coverage: Former Abp. of Zimbabwe Pius Ncube admits adulterous affair

Last September I blogged at length about the resignation of Zimbabwen Archbishop Pius Ncube.

At the time, the truth of the matter was difficult to determine. For the full backstory, read the original post.

Today, things are very clear:

"It is true, I do admit that I did fail in keeping God's commandment with regard to adultery," admitted Pius Ncube ...” "Having failed in keeping the Seventh Commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery, I would like to apologize to you, I'd like to apologize that so many of you were praying for me, for the fact that so many of you standing with me in fact suffered so much." (via CNA, more from CWNews.)

Ncube was the most vocal opponent of the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, whom from all reports, is a thoroughly nasty dictator. It is a great blow that his personal sin has destroyed his ability to effectively help the plight of Zunbabwen citizens. It didn't help that he long denied the truth of the adultery charges.

One report said he was "widely tipped as a future Nobel Peace Prize winner" but has now been "ordered to stop speaking out about conditions in his devastated country" by Rome. Zimbabwe has the highest infaltion rate and lowest life expectancy. There is areport that Ncube is now in the United Kingdom awaiting a Vatican decision.

Frontier Africa TV has a short video clip of the his admission, and scenes from his ministry. It's moving.

He says:

"I'm not going to be silenced. I don't mind so much what people do to me personally, but what I do mind is the damage and evil to the people coming from the government of Zimbabwe.

More from the Sunday Herald.

I've been watching to see how the media treats this situation:

Zimbabwe has lost in the immediate term what was one of the most courageous and best-known voices of opposition to Mugabe. In the longer term, the controversy will inevitably raise questions about the gap between how prelates in Rome believe the faithful in Africa should behave, and the reality on the ground.

It is no great secret among those who live in Africa that Roman Catholic priests on that continent often honour the vow of celibacy as much in the breach as in the practice. Some priests have children, while others listen to the quiet advice of their bishops to practice birth control. Roman Catholic nuns sometimes defy papal doctrine and freely distribute condoms to their flocks to help counter the HIV/Aids pandemic, which is cutting a swathe through Africa. Many Zimbabweans and other Africans are likely to see as disproportionate the Vatican smothering of a powerful focus of opposition to Mugabe on account of an all too human failing - one that the Zimbabwe regime was bound to spot and exploit.

While this account misses some important distinctions, on the whole, it's not far from the truth. Clerical discipline is not universally observed in Africa, but I don't think that's a closely-kept secret even outside Africa. And we all hope and pray that it improves. Certainly there are amazing examples of fidelity and obedience in Africa as well. But those stories don't make headlines.

And this isn't the first time in human history that a person forfeited their ability to do good because of personal sin. The devil gives extra attention to those called to great things, and so we should pray for this man, and all individuals who face these struggles, especially priests and bishops.

A last word from Ncube:

"I think Christ would condemn the violence, widespread rape and torture by government agencies and the Mugabe-loyal youth militia," he said. "I don't think Christ would have survived in Zimbabwe. We're all being held to ransom by one despot. Mugabe's government doesn't like people who speak the truth. Plenty of people who criticise the government have died mysteriously. Christ wouldn't have had a chance."

But Christ was the sinless man who died for our sins, Ncube's included. We could all benefit from looking to the example of Christ whose witness to the truth was perfectly free from every hint of sin, Ncube included.

update: In the Light of the Law makes the technical point that the archbishop has admitted to violating his vows of continence, not (strictly-speaking) celibacy.

I would also add, reflecting on the story a bit more, that I am concerned about Ncube's ongoing problem with obedience to the Church. The circumstances of his interview with the reporter seemed to be contrary to the Vatican's wishes, for instance, and he seems to drop some hints that he does not intend to be silenced. Well, I hope as part of his penance he remains faithful to his vow of obedience.

Archbishop Ncube Ntrouble - but what is the truth of the matter?

The VIS bulletin was terse and to-the-point:

"[Today the Holy Father:] Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, presented by Archbishop Pius Alick Ncube, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law."

The back story is long and complicated, but to summarize:

• Abp. Pius Ncube has been an outspoken critic of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe (who, from all reports, is a corrupt dictator)
• President Mugabe has had his state-run media and secret service proliferate a vicious campaign accusing the Archbishop of having a sexual relationship with his secretary
• The President conducted an undercover operation that resulted in a video which purports to show the Archbishop having relations with his secretary (and other women as well)
• Abp. Ncube has denied the accusations, but has resigned to "protect the church." He will remain a bishop in Zimbabwe and continue opposing the president's activities.

I don't believe that the Archbishop's resignation proves that he is guilty, as the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishop's conference pointed out to reporters. The Archbishop was not asked to resign [update: this detail is now contested - see bottom of the post], and he submitted his request back in July with the purpose of allowing himself more time to defend against the civil charges of adultery that he is facing from the government as well as a suit submitted by the husband of the woman with whom he is purported to have had an affair.

The Catholic Church is said to be conducting its own investigation, and that's what I'll be watching more than the (likely corrupt) civil suit. Efforts are also underway to examine the authenticity of the media which attempts to compromise the Archbishop (I don't envy those involved with that task).

It is also interesting to note that the Archbishop was charged with adultery almost immediately after he was quoted as saying that it would be morally justifiable to overthrow President Mugabe's regime [source]. If we want to talk about timing, that is rather noteworthy.

And I have to say that, in general, I'm very impressed by the Archbishop's words. If he is indeed guilty, this only makes the situation all the more tragic because he clearly seems to have an integrated understanding of his office and duties as an Archbishop - at least on paper.

The CNS coverage of this issue is extremely well-done and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read more of the archbishop's position, as well as learn more about the background of the controversy.

Finally, Rocco reports:

Ncube's resignation is the second indicator in a week of a concerted shift in the Holy See's Zimbabwe policy.

Little noticed when it dropped eight days ago, Benedict transferred the nuncio to Harare, Archbishop Edward Adams, to Manila as the papal representative to the Philippines.

Other sources:

• Sep 12: Zimbabwe Archbishop Resigns (New York Times)
• Sep 12: Pope lets critic of Mugabe quit after sex video (UK Gaurdian ... unfair headline)
• Sep 11: Archbishop Pius Ncube resigns amidst allegations of adultery (CNA)
• Sep 11: Zimbabwe's Archbishop Ncube resigns under fire (CWNews)
• Sep 11: Pope Accepts Zimbabwean Prelate's Resignation (Zenit)
• Sep 11: Ncube to resign, reports anticipate (CathNews)
• Aug 31: Zimbabwe's bishops rally behind accused archbishop (CNA)
• Aug 31: Zimbabwe bishops rally behind accused prelate (CWNews)
• Aug 28: Lawyers for Archbishop Ncube ask for detailed charges (CWNews)
• Aug 23: Zimbabwe government launches new charges against Archbishop Ncube (CWNews)

Update: John Allen reports: "Ncube yesterday told Corriere della Sera, Italy’s leading newspaper, that he would “never admit” that the photos are authentic. Ncube also said that he would not have resigned on his own, but did so in obedience to a request from Benedict XVI." The AFP reports along similar lines.

Update 2: CWNews, in turn, disputes that the Holy See asked for the resignation:

A spokesman for the bishops' conference of Zimbabwe told the Catholic News Service that Archbishop Ncube had submitted his resignation freely, denying that the Vatican had pressed him to resign. However he also said that the archbishop's resignation was "not expected." Ncube had earlier told reporters that he had offered to resign in July, when newspapers in the nation's capital first ran stories on the adultery charges.