We didn't kill priests says Front

By John Carey
THE Patriotic Front Leaders, Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo have vigorously denied that their forces fighting in Rhodesia have attacked missionaries or are against the church in any way.
In an interview with the Catholic Herald on Wednesday Mr Mugabe said his ZANLA forces were specifically instructed not to harm missionaries but to regard them as their friends. "The missionaries are first and foremost working for the people and to work against them is obviously to work against the people they serve."
Mr Mugabe explained that ZANLA did not use violence against local Africans to gain support he said his forces used education and persuasion even if assistance was refused to the guerillas.
He strongly denied that his forces had been involved in the killing of missionaries at Lupane in 1976 and Musami in 1977. On the Church he said, "The Catholic Church has done more than any other in the promotion of our cause. The Justice and Peace Commission has done tremendous work," Mr Mugabe explained that in an independent Zimbabwe the Church would have the same freedom as everyone else but he said there would have to be an end to separate schools or hospitals for different racial groups.
He pointed out that the Church's principle role was in evangelisation and in education and social work not in political activity, "I am practising Christian principles by waging this struggle," said Mr Mugabe. "The establishment of a just society is what Christianity would like to achieve. I take it that when the Church criticises the government for oppressing the people, they are at the same time advocating a campaign to bring about change. This is the campaign I am leading."
Mr Nkomo said that the freedom fighters had been told not to harm the missionaries. "I have broadcast that message myself," he said.
He described as nonsense and absolute rubbish allegations that the Patriotic Front was anti-Christian or anti-missionary. "The stand which the Catholic bishops have taken against the Smith regime has alienated them from the regime and it has retaliated by deliberately punishing them. It has then tried to blame it on the guerrillas."
Mr Nkomo did admit that there might be one or two "unruly people" amongst the guerrillas but he promised that they would be punished by demotion or fatigues or some other method.
Mr Mugabe is a Catholic and Mr Nkomo is a Methodist but his wife and children are Catholics, His wife has been the President of the Catholic Women's Council for some time.