Williams visits Zimbabwe amid church-state standoff

From The Washington Post-

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will visit Zimbabwe in a show of support for Anglicans who are under siege from a renegade ex-bishop who plans to snub the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Anglicans in Zimbabwe are embroiled in a church property fight with former Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of the capital of Harare. Kunonga left the church in 2007 over what he said was its pro-gay stance.

Kunonga has formed his own church around a group of followers, claiming rights over church property, schools and hospitals. Kunonga is allied with President Robert Mugabe, who has maintained a tight grip on power for 30 years.

Williams’ Oct. 5-13 visit, which will include visits to Malawi and Zambia, will “show support to Anglicans in Zimbabwe in the face of ongoing persecution at the hands of an ex-communicated man who has nothing else to do than focus his attention on destroying what generations of Anglicans built using their own resources,” the Harare diocese said in a statement.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/williams-visits-zimbabwe-amid-church-state-standoff/2011/10/04/gIQAXG0YLL_story.html