By Charles T.M.J. Dube

“I NEITHER can, nor will recant, for to do so is to act against conscience and to act against conscience is unchristian and unholy,” Martin Luther.
Those words by Martin Luther ring bells to the students of Church history, and were uttered as Luther was refusing to repent after he had penned 95 theses in repudiation of the Catholic Church, provoking a period in history which became known as the ‘Reformation’.
Likewise, history was made in Zimbabwe on Monday, October 30 as the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishop’s Conference and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches led a joint worship of Catholics and Protestants at the Anglican Cathedral to the sound of Catholic drums with the inner city Catholic group of churches choir providing music as the anchor choir to this seemingly ordinary looking and yet loaded joint service which was deliberately timed to coincide with 500 years since the Reformation.
This is the product of 50 years of sparring between Catholics and Protestants with a view to meeting the expectations of the Lord’s prayer when Christ says: (John 17:22) “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.”
Thus, in this regard, the presidents and secretaries-general of both the Catholic Bishop’s Conference (for Catholics) and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (for Protestants) signed a Memorandum of Association and joint worship for the two groups, marking a turn in their inter-denominational relationships and mutual recognition as brethren of the same faith.
The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed between Catholics and the Lutheran World Federation in Hong Kong in 1997 when they agreed on the theology of Justification being by faith was a precursor to this development.
The ZCBC secretary-general said: “In the spirit, Catholics and churches of the Reformation embrace each other as sisters and brothers in the Lord. Together they rejoice in the truly Christian gifts that they both have received and rediscovered in various ways through the renewal and impulses of the Reformation”.
In an article on national unity on October 13, we wrote about the need for nationals to find one another in the pursuit of their common goals and the things that united them more than those that divided them, both within and across the political divide.
In what could compare very well with the political parallel, the churches observed that Catholics and churches of the Reformation had frequently not only misunderstood but also exaggerated their differences, at times violating the eighth commandment, which prohibits bearing false witness against one’s neighbour by saying things that are not true about each other.
They often focused on what separated them from each other rather than looking for what united them, losing the opportunities to speak and act with one voice to unite nations.
Accordingly, they now, together, repented of their sins of neglect.
After the common recital of the Nicene Creed, the five shared commitments between the ZCC and the ZCBC were read, with Fr Chiromba and Bishop E. Ruwona alternating in lighting the candle and pouring water on behalf of the Catholics and Protestants as they were read.
Thus, Catholics and members of the ZCC would:
-Seek to promote Christian unity and contribute to social cohesion in Zimbabwe
-Commit themselves to visible unity and ongoing revitalisation of the Church through joint theological and biblical study and worship from time to time.
Join hands in promoting active citizenship and good governance in Zimbabwe
-Work closely together to promote the dignity of all Zimbabweans and, through their leaders,
Share in joint public witness as they speak against all forms of oppression and injustice that deprive Zimbabweans of their fullness of life.
I do not usually analyse prayers, but boy, the alternate intercession prayers from the Catholic and ZCC sides were loaded with meaning!
I spoke to Mkandla, a parishioner at the Catholic Cathedral, about the event.
Her eyes were teary with joy as she said: “I just knew we were going to be the anchor choir at a joint service between the mother church and Protestants. Little did I know that there was going to be history in the making. We just selected songs of love, unity and positive influence. Dube, I am so happy for the Church of Christ”.
The joy written on the faces of priests and all laity who attended the joint service as they shook hands, exiting the Anglican Cathedral, was indescribable
Even in the speeches from all, including the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, who attended in solidarity, the Church had set a good example after centuries of disharmony and mudslinging and it is now our politicians’ turn to take a leaf and build our nation united in purpose, despite their differing political inclinations.
The Church had taken the lead in being the salt of the earth and as the anchor choir sang as the presidents and secretaries-general put ink to the Memorandum of Association and joint worship. committing them to the five principles.
Like we wrote before, it is high time we, as Zimbabweans, found one another in the pursuit of our national goals and solution to our common challenges.
Our President Robert Mugabe is Catholic.
One of his Vice-Presidents is Methodist and the other, I suspect, Seventh Day Adventist.
Let us all unite!
Ini newe tine basa — to unite this nation, led by our common challenges and opportunities.