Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference

The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) is a member of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) and Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). The primary objective of the ZCBC is to promote solidarity among the bishops of Zimbabwe, and promotion of self-sufficiency among each of the dioceses. Current president is Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu

Background

The country's Catholic bishops met in the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, ZCBC), established by the Holy See on October 1, 1969. The statutes of the Conference were approved on March 25, 1981.

Presidents

• Donal Lamont, Bishop of Umtali (1970–1972)
• Aloysius Haene, Bishop of Gwelo (1972–1974)
• Ignacio Prieto Vega, Bishop of Wankie (1974–1975)
• Ernst Heinrich Karlen, Archbishop of Bulawayo (1975–1977)
• Patrick Fani Chakaipa, Archbishop of Harare (1977–1984)
• Wunganayi Chiginya Tobias, Bishop of Gweru (1984–1987)
• Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (1987–1990)
• Helmut Reckter, Bishop of Chinhoyi (1990–1994)
• Francis Xavier Mugadzi, Bishop of Gweru (1994–1998)
• Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (1998–2002)
• Michael Dixon Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo (2002–2006)
• Robert Ndlovu, Archbishop of Harare (2006–2011)
• Ángel Floro Martínez, Bishop of Gokwe (2011–2014)
• Michael Dixon Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo (2014)
• Robert Christopher Ndlovu (Current President)

Statement on Human Rights Abuse in Zimbabwe

Citizens across Zimbabwe have expressed their solidarity with the country's Catholic bishops, after they released an outspoken Pastoral Letter on Friday 15 August 2020, criticising widespread corruption, extreme poverty and human rights abuses under the current regime. While the government has described the Archbishop of Harare as 'evil-minded' and said the Church was stoking division, thousands of Zimbabweans have strongly welcomed the bishops' letter.^[1]