“Zimbabwe needs your prayers more than ever,” African priest tells ACN

Mar 21, 2007 / 14:41 pm

Father Joaquín Alliende, the international ecclesiastical assistant of Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), is asking all Catholic faithful to pray for Zimbabwe after receiving a message from a priest in the country.  “We recommend the Zimbabwean people to the Sacred Heart of the Lord, so that they will recognise the fruit of the Resurrection,” Fr. Alliende said.

ACN received a message from a Zimbabwean priest, who asked to remain anonymous but requested a call for prayers be issued.  “The political situation in Zimbabwe is reaching a boiling point,” the African priest reported.

“You may have seen the scenes of brutality against the leader and members of the only viable opposition party in the international media in recent days. For us who are on the ground, the brutality caused by a government which claims to be serving the interests of the people of Zimbabwe makes us very ashamed before the global family.”

“In this age and time,” he continued, “nobody would have expected such barbarism in a country which claims to be a democratic nation but this is the true reality in our sad and beloved country, Zimbabwe.”

“Like before, I am kindly asking for your prayers,” the priest said. “Actually, Zimbabwe needs your prayers more than ever before; for the people are experiencing a multitude of problems ranging from high inflation, unemployment, food shortages, and political violence.”

The priest said that although times are extremely tough, “we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.”  He said that the recent show of violence against the people of Zimbabwe is actually a sign that things may soon change.  “The bankrupt regime has run out of ideas, money, and political credibility. Hence, the only weapon left it is to use force against its own people.”