THE history of missionaries in the armed invasion of our land is not defensible.
In the Catholic, as well as in the Biblical tradition, a priest is an anointed of God, His messenger to bind wounds, heal, strengthen and encourage, a shepherd, one set aside for God’s holy work and therefore to be without blemish as Luke says: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel of the poor: he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. – (Luke 4 verse 18)
When Father Andrew Hartmann, a Jesuit priest of the Catholic Church accompanied the British armed force, so-called The Pioneer Column, as its chaplain, his Church, the Catholic Church, was involved in the grossest violation of human rights.
It was part and parcel of a criminal activity, the armed robbery of an inalienable gift from God – our land.
The British armed settlers murdered thousands of Shonas and Ndebeles to effect occupation.
The people of Zimbabwe were armed with bows and arrows, spears and assegais while the British settlers had the Maxim gun, which could fire 600 rounds per minute.
The missionaries were guilty of complicity in this crime against humanity.
How can this be reconciled with holy priesthood, with being the anointed of God, unless it is only whites who qualify to be God’s children?
On February 15 1897, Father Biehler, a Catholic priest at Chishawasha Mission wrote the following during the First Chimurenga.
“Our mode of fighting is not the proper one for the Mashonas.
“It seems to me that the only way of doing anything at all with the natives is to starve them, destroy their lands, kill all that can be killed.” (Muchemwa: 2015).
This was exactly Cecil John Rhodes’ heart’s desire.
During the First Chimurenga, he was reported to: “Always have been very excited about the Africans the whites killed, he would eagerly count the corpses of the Africans.
“He was heard instructing a policeman: ‘Kill everyone, even those who surrender and raise their hands asking for mercy’.” (Muchemwa: 2015).
The unholy alliance between the British settlers and the missionaries was so close, they were one.
For the British imperialists, genocide is what was extremely desirable because it simplified things for them, because then they would not have to contend with resistance to their occupation.
But for a Church institution to desire genocide as much as the imperialists means they abused the Bible.
The Dominican sisters volunteered to come to our land to take care of the British- armed settlers wounded in their war of aggression to take over our land.
That is why they came.
Zimbabweans who were victims of this armed-aggression were not among those the sisters nursed.
Perhaps they (blacks) were not human enough to qualify for the assistance of the sisters.
The Africans could bleed to death, rot from their wounds, lose their limbs, go blind or deaf without anyone to take care of them because it was their ‘fault’ for resisting the armed robbery of their land and wealth, for defending their God-given heritage.
That is why the missionaries asked those captured by the British settlers to repent of their sin of fighting against enslavement by the British.
They were told to confess of this sin and be baptised so that after they had murdered them, God would admit them to heaven.
Mbuya Nehanda rightly told them it was not she who needed forgiveness, but them (the British) who had robbed her of her land.
She would not be baptised.
She was defiant, unrepentant.
Up to this day, they have not repented, they forced the Africans to repent for being patriotic, for loving their God-given land unto death, but ironically some men of collar have not yet repented.
They have not asked for forgiveness from God and from the people of Zimbabwe for their part in this crime.
They have not sought to be reconciled with God and the people of Zimbabwe over this issue, but it is us, the victims, who have been magnanimous and extended the hand of reconciliation.
Instead they have appointed themselves judge over the government of the party that fought and ended British occupation of our land.
Naturally they seek to restore the British racist colonial rule which they helped to institute.
Some white clerics have never given the Government of Zimbabwe any respite as evident in Father Oskar Wermter’s lashing of the Government of Zimbabwe over a camera clip which he describes as follows:
“19-year-old youngster in police uniform beats up a 62-year-old woman who could be his grandmother. A political system marked by such inhumanity needs to be investigated. What is wrong with it? Or the people who run it, what kind of spirit has taken hold of them? Do they not see that it is their doing when old and helpless people are being humiliated and disgraced? (NewsDay: September 5 2016).
For a whole priest to use this one incident to conclude that this is evidence of an inhuman political system, to castigate and condemn those who run the political system is not only unjust but also uncalled for.
Fr Wermter should have the humility to acknowledge that this Government is of people who were prepared to lay down their lives for others which Christ Himself said is the greatest love.
This Government has credentials of love and respect.
They offered their lives for others; they were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.
The missionaries have no such credentials; they were part of the looting and plunder of this land.
They still hold thousands of acres which they received during occupation.
The Catholics in particular, are non-repentant, that is why they have built Hartmann House, a primary school in Harare, to celebrate and immortalise their Jesuit priest, Fr Hartmann, who said mass all the way for the mercenaries and convicts they called the Pioneer Column.
The Catholics are non-repentant because they want Zimbabwe’s children never to love their country, but to be grateful to them (priests).