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Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Lament 'Erosion of Human Dignity'


The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference has painted a bleak picture of the country’s prospects, saying the standard of living and human dignity continue to erode under the Zanu-PF government.

In a festive season statement, the bishops said there was absolutely nothing to inspire hope for a better life in Zimbabwe, adding that the July 31 elections left the country more divided than ever before.

"The dignity of our people has been severely eroded as they have become reduced to sellers of cheap goods and products at street corners in our cities in order to survive," they said.

"There are no visible prospects for improvement in the spheres of life in Zimbabwe that cry for restoration to give people hope for a better life."

Zimbabwe has lost the economic and social stability it enjoyed under the unity government with the economy bleeding from a cocktail of afflictions - some of them a direct consequence of ill-conceived and radical legislating.

And the pastors vividly captured the growing degradation in the quality of life in Zimbabwe with a list of social and economic problems people have to grapple every day.

"Daily water and power cuts, shortage of medicines, equipment and professional personnel in our hospitals, chaos and carnage on our roads... the list of what reduces our dignity is long."

Commenting, Father Nigel Johnson of the Catholic Church in Harare told VOA the bishops’ concerns are real.

"I think that's a very accurate description, you only need to move around any of the cities of Zimbabwe and that's exactly what you see; women selling tomatoes on every corner," Johnson said.
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