HARARE – Zimbabwe Catholic bishops this week accused the government of using state institutions as partisan tools to support the ruling party and stifle democracy, leaving minority groups in the southern African nation marginalised.

In its latest pastoral letter on national healing and reconciliation, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) said anybody who has spoken out against the ruling party has been marginalised over the years.

"Those who have opposed the ruling party have been marginalised and sometimes criminalised. In our history, there has not been space created to allow for healthy political debates and contestation," the letter said.

"This has caused a lot of frustration and resentment. The formation of strong political opposition parties has become a source of strong political conflicts and violence. Women, the youth and minorities feel that they are not fully included in the development of the country. So politically, our country is deeply divided."

As a country, Zimbabweans have sinned as there are serious social, political and economic mistakes that have been made over the years, said the bishops, adding that anybody who has advocated or perpetrated violence should not hold any public office.

"Anybody who has used his or her position to direct, command, plan or directly commit acts of violence should not be allowed to hold any public office that he or she can use to perpetrate further violence in future.

"We appeal to the perpetrators of these atrocities, accomplices and instigators of violence to acknowledge the evil deeds and in conscience to own up and make restitution as Zacchaeus did. You need to be justified before God to find peace," the ZCBC letter said.

Last year, the Catholic also strongly spoke out against the violence which broke out after the March harmonised elections.

The letter said Zimbabweans have sinned against God which has been characterised by very "serious social, political and economic mistakes over the years”.

Zimbabwe has suffered unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis marked by the world’s highest inflation of 231 million percent as of last July last year, acute shortages of food, disease and deepening poverty.

Critics blame the crisis on President Robert Mugabe’s controversial policies but the 85-year-old leader, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its 1980 independence from Britain, denies mismanaging Zimbabwe and instead accuses his Western enemies of sabotaging his country’s once brilliant economy.

Mugabe last February formed a power-sharing government with long time political foe Morgan Tsvangirai, who is now Prime Minister, to end a political crisis following inconclusive elections last year.

The unity government is supposed to stabilise the southern African country’s economy, liberalise the media and democratise key state institutions that have been under the control of Mugabe’s ZANU PF party since independence.

The unity government should also write a new constitution for the country after which free and democratic elections should be held. – ZimOnline