Archbishop Pius Ncube Still Doing "The Lord’s Work"
Archbishop Pius Ncube, the former head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bulawayo, said he continues to do “the Lord’s work” nearly two decades after a sex scandal seemingly derailed his career.
In 2007, Ncube, now Archbishop Emeritus, faced public scrutiny over allegations of adultery with Rosemary Sibanda, a married congregant.
Since then, Ncube maintained a period of silence and temporarily relocated to the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church’s headquarters, before returning to Zimbabwe to rebuild his life.
Speaking to the Chronicle at Magoli Catholic Church in rural Dete recently, the 78-year-old clergyman revealed that upon his return, the church advised him to maintain a low profile.
He was subsequently assigned to the Marist Brothers Seminary in Dete, Hwange District, Matabeleland North province. He said:
I am still doing the Lord’s work as you can see. My life has not changed for the worse. I have been here in Dete where I do a lot of things for the community, especially the elderly who may be having various life challenges. I counsel them and sometimes assist them financially.
Archbishop Emeritus Ncube declined to comment on the 2007 events or discuss politics, stating the church has restricted him from engaging in such public discourse. He said:
I have my views about the political situation in the country, past and present but the church ordered me not to say anything, which I am obliged to follow as a loyal servant, even though I would want to have my views known.
Archbishop Emeritus Ncube disclosed that he attempted to venture into small-scale potato farming, but the project did not prove successful, leading him to ultimately abandon it. He said:
I only managed to harvest about three buckets, which I felt wasn’t a good business model looking at the cost of production, especially water charges hence I abandoned that.
He said that he and other priests have successfully translated the Catechism of the Catholic Church into iSiNdebele—a project that spanned nearly three years. The book is now poised for formal presentation to the public by the church leadership. Said Archbishop Emeritus Ncube:
We realised that some members of the church may not have received enough education for them to be able to read and understand the English language but are eloquent in iSiNdebele.
So, this translation will assist them greatly. The book is done, it’s about 800 pages, what is left now is just to include indexes and also acknowledge our various sources.
I must emphasise that our church leaders will present the document to the public as per protocol.
A catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching for both children and adult converts. It often takes the form of questions followed by answers to be memorised.
Looking into the future, Archbishop Emeritus Ncube said: “I hope one day, when I eventually write my memoirs, the world will have my own story but not now.”
More: Pindula News
