Harare, Zimbabwe, Jun 19, 2008 / 23:45 pm
The government of Zimbabwe has partially lifted a policy banning non-government organizations (NGOs) from entering the country, relenting to humanitarian aid organizations and Catholic leaders who had criticized the program. Mugabe's government now says it will allow workers in who distribute food and help for AIDS patients.
A Catholic archbishop leading a Southern Africa bishops’ conference and a cardinal heading a major global Catholic charity have spoken out for the NGOs, which aim to distribute food supplies and offer assistance to AIDS victims in the country.
The high-ranking clergymen have also addressed Zimbabwe pre-election conflict by reminding Zimbabweans that “electoral processes and outcomes are not an excuse for breaching God's commandments.”
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez, who is president of Caritatis Internationalis, and Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, who is president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, issued a joint appeal on June 13 to the international community, especially South Africa. As reported on the Caritatis Internationalis web site, they criticized the regime of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe for endangering the lives of more than 4 million people.