| President Robert Mugabe's state terror police, the Central Intelligence Organisation, celebrated Easter Sunday by storming into a church in the capital Harare, beating up the congregation and arresting two pastors. One witness, who escaped with minor bruising to the shoulder, said the assault occurred at around 7pm at the Apostolic Mission Church's Easter Sunday evening service. During the traditional Prayer For The Nation, Pastor Alison Sibanda called on worshippers to pray for a morally upright leader, saying: "Good leaders are ordained by God. But the present one is not from God." It is believed that among the congregation were members of the CIO, who then left the church to report on what they had heard. Thirty minutes later, two truckloads of police charged into the church and used their batons to disperse |  | |  | |
 | | | Storming an Easter service, the police charged two pastors with inciting violence | | | the congregation. Several people suffered injuries and required medical treatment. Money donated by worshippers during the service is said to have gone missing. Sibanda and another pastor, Dumisani Nyoni, were arrested for inciting violence. It is not yet known whether they are still in custody. Since the state claims that prayer meetings are now a platform for opposition parties to spread the message of protest, similar attacks can be expected in the future. But the country's Christians will be heartened by the Easter message from Pope Benedict XVI, who said: "Zimbabwe is in the grip of a grievous crisis, and for this reason the bishops of that country in a recent document indicated that prayer and a shared commitment for the common good is the only way forward."  FIRST POSTED APRIL 9, 2007 |
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