No more Anglican Information

The group which was Anglican Information have decided that their work is done.

There will, therefore, be no more posts from them.  I, for one, will be sad as this (admittedly episodic) blog will be considerably impoverished as a consequence.

Anyone (whether from that group or otherwise) who would like to contribute comments, perspectives, news from other parts of the Anglican world - whether African or otherwise, whether regularly or occasionally - is warmly invited to get in touch.

Anglican Information gets noticed

Anglican Information continues to be noticed more widely.

Damian Thompson 'Blogs editor of the Daily Telegraph', under the ironic (or sarcastic) title of News from the thriving Anglican Communion, used quotes from a recent AI post about Lake Malawi. His goal seems to be to ridicule the Communion.

The substance of the AI post was taken up by George Conger who has a wide readership. In the Church of England Newspaper (describing AI as 'a pressure group associated with the one-time bishop-elect of Lake Malawi, Ealing vicar the Rev. Nicholas Henderson.') he asserts that Scott Wilson withdrew his candidature for the See of Lake Malawi for reasons entirely unconnected with his membership of the schismatic ACNA. And it may well be so. (The article was reposted on Gonger's Religious Intelligence site.)

Conger also has a long piece on the legal battle surrounding the election of Chad Gandiya in Zimbabwe. Comger has his own sources and has often reported on the Church in Zimbabwe, though it is to be hoped that AI also contributes to his understanding of the situation.

Posted by Anglican Information

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION

'A voice for the voiceless in the Anglican Central African Province'

A forced episcopal election for Lake Malawi? The new Bishop of Upper Shire, Malawi, the first twenty-one days

- and more on that ‘poisoning’.

Diocese of Lake Malawi

The four archdeacons of the Diocese of Lake Malawi were summoned today, Tuesday 30th June, to hear from the Vicar General The Rev’d Canon Michael Mkoko that the diocese is to have an election to replace the current bishop-elect. This election has been ordered by the Provincial bishops who under acting Dean Albert Chama of Northern Zambia now feel confident enough to risk forcing an election which they have declared is to take place at short notice (just within canonical requirements if the requisite notices go out) on the same day, Saturday 1st August, as the elections for Northern Malawi.

Resistance in the diocese is likely as the original election held in July 2005, which returned the Rev’d Dr Nicholas Henderson of London, England, near unanimously is still considered by a majority in the diocese to remain valid. There are divisions of opinion in a diocese where many long for an end to the stalemate but any attempt to supplant an already legitimately elected bishop by attempting to hold another election without canonical resolution of the first is certain to produce conflict.

People in the diocese are in no mood to let the bishops ignore the agreed independent investigation by a Provincial Court (see our article on our website dated 21st August 2007) into what happened at the Court of Confirmation. Meetings are planned for the near future to consider a response to Bishop Chama’s ultimatum.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that had the Central African bishops honoured their original agreement to a Provincial Court there would have been a settlement of the Lake Malawi situation long ago. There are however two problems from their point of view: First, that a genuinely independent Provincial Court would almost certainly find embarrassingly against the way in which the Court of Confirmation was conducted. Secondly, submission to the will of the people would represent a ‘loss of face’ which is a serious matter for African (and any other for that matter) church leaders. From the bishops’ point of view it is better to ‘bluff it out’. With this tactic they were ultimately successful in Upper Shire diocese, although Lake Malawi has presented a much tougher prospect with the people having held out against what they see as deep injustice for three years.

After his election as Bishop of Lake Malawi Dr Henderson was declared to have been of ‘unsound faith’ and therefore ‘not confirmed’ by a ‘majority’ decision at an episcopal ‘Court of Confirmation’ held in November 2005. This decision is thought to have been contrived illegally under uncanonical proceedings presided over by the then Archbishop of the Province Bernard Malango.

The ‘verdict’ of ‘unsound faith’ was declared because Dr Henderson had been the one-time General Secretary of the Modern Churchpeople’s Union (M.C.U.), the Anglican Communion’s oldest theological society. Henderson a priest for over 30 years of impeccable Anglican background and orthodoxy is widely thought to have been a victim of Bernard Malango’s then propensity to acquiesce to North American schismatic tendencies. North American conservatives it should be noted do not like anyone who might be considered an academic liberal and habitually engage in attempted character assassination of those who dare to disagree with them.

These include of the Central African bishops at the time of the controversial Court of Confirmation, The Rt Rev’d Dr James Tengatenga, now chair of the influential Anglican Consultative Council, who was (and still is) one of the international editors of Modern Believing the much-respected MCU quarterly journal. Also Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana who was a principal speaker at the MCU pre-Lambeth Conference in Hertfordshire, England in 2008.

Significantly, of those who voted against Henderson, Nolbert Kunonga, self-styled Archbishop of Zimbabwe and Elson Jakazi of Manicaland have both been excommunicated but continue to promote violence against Anglicans in Zimbabwe.

Former Archbishop Bernard Malango, a great friend and promoter of Kunonga, also around the time of the Court of Confirmation was touring the Anglican Communion (funded by American separatists) promoting schism and speaking against the Archbishop of Canterbury. This has now borne fruit in that the current sole candidate for the vacancy in North Malawi is the Rev’d Scott Wilson who is an active member of the new breakaway ‘Anglican Church in North America’ (A.C.N.A.). This loose and somewhat disparate federation of dissident former Episcopalians has split acrimoniously from the official Episcopal Church and most of the Anglican Communion. It is not clear consequently whether Wilson is in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, a position that is mandatory in the Central African Provincial Canons. Ironically, the only body that can declare the A.C.N.A. to be in communion with Canterbury is the Anglican Consultative Council. Chaired by James Tengatenga, it is unlikely to do so.

Definitions of what might be ‘unsound faith’ seem therefore to be fluid. The accusation is applied arbitrarily. For further example, the newly elected Bishop of Harare, the Rev’d Dr Chad Gandiya, also of impeccable Anglican background, was accused, in a letter dated 22nd September 2007, written by the then Bishop of Manicaland Elson Jakazi, and sent to the Provincial bishops, of ‘inviting gay priests’ from South Africa to speak at Bishop Gaul Theological College, Harare where Gandiya was principal. ‘Some priests walked out in protest’ the letter goes on. This letter was a resurrection of a previously successful attempt to smear Gandiya made by Archbishop Bernard Malango at the earlier election for Bishop of Harare in 2001 when Gandiya was a candidate who was forced out of the race by Malango. The infamous Nolbert Kunonga ‘won’ with the support of dictator Robert Mugabe in strange circumstances not having been on the candidate’s list at all.

This complicated history shows the damaging effects that North American ecclesiastical battles can have directly and indirectly in far-off Central Africa. Certainly Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana is right in pointing out that Africans actually have other priorities than the endless North American gay debate. Naturally, he in turn has been pilloried for daring to say this by conservative American websites.

Diocese of Upper Shire, Malawi, the new bishop shows his mettle:

The world’s youngest bishop the Rt Rev’d Brighton Malasa, a onetime chaplain to former Archbishop Bernard Malango, was publicly (broadcast live on Malawi radio and television), by the President of Malawi Bingu wa Mutharika, given 2,000,000 Malawi Kwacha (£8,500 or $14,000) specifically for the Diocese of Upper Shire by way of a helpful start-up grant. Unfortunately, only 1,500,000 Malawi Kwacha have found their way into the diocesan accounts with the remaining 500,000 being kept by Malasa for personal use. In a similar fashion the diocesan car has not been registered in the name of the Diocese of Upper Shire as it should be but rather in Brighton Malasa’s own name.

It is clear that the new bishop is going to have difficulty in attracting future sponsorship and outside aid for his impoverished diocese. Objectors to his election had cited a history financial mismanagement as a reason why the House of Bishops should not have chosen him.

Alleged ‘poisoning’ of the late Canon Rodney Hunter in Nkhota-kota, Diocese of Lake Malawi

At the Court hearing reported by us in our last issue Leonard Mondoma the late Canon Hunter’s loyal but hapless cook arrived at court to face his twice-suspended Forward in Faith supported priest accuser, the Rev’d Denis Kayamba. Kayamba had arrived with a gang of ‘friends’ presumably in order to intimidate what he thought would be the lone Mondoma.

However, it was Kayamba who was reported to have looked astonished when two lawyers from Amnesty International lawyer, Charles Kasambara’s Lilongwe based firm arrived to support Mondoma. Kasambara’s speciality is the defence of those who have been wrongfully accused - he is frequently in Zimbabwe. He had been alerted at the last minute to give support to Mondoma who has already had to endure 18 months of life-threatening conditions in Nkhota-kota prison, solely on the accusation of Denis Kayamba. The ‘evidence’ of ‘poisoning’ has still not been produced and the judge rightly adjourned the hearing to a later date ordering Kayamba to ‘go and get a lawyer’.

Apologies - and a new beginning

First, my apologies for not posting for a month. My role with EAASSG has become all-consuming and I'm afrain this blog has been one of the casualties.

(I know, this is not good, and I accept all lectures on work-life balance. But that's the way it is at the moment and will be for the foreseeable future until more people can be brought on board. Any one in the area of Newcastle upon Tyne interested in helping? Responsibility for the EAASSG website is about to fall into my lap, I think.)

However my silence has prompted a new start: the good people at Anglican Information have been in touch and the upshot is that they are willing to contribute to this blog directly. (I have failed to post some material they sent for which, again, I apologise.)

They - or whoever takes on this task for the collective - will be an equal author wholly responsible for their own content. I look forward to new, well informed and provocative posts.

Paul Bagshaw


.

Depredation of the Diocese of Upper Shire

A view of the Upper Shire River

- more pictures here

From Anglican Information

Disturbing news from the Diocese of Upper Shire, Malawi, Anglican Province of Central Africa

From: Jean Msosa-Maganga in Malawi -


‘I’m just back from the Diocese of Upper Shire where I heard the disturbing news that a priest at St Andrew’s Church, Mangochi District Centre, has taken a lorry-load of building materials meant for development projects to his home in Likoma. I (like others) have been much disturbed by the news so I have felt it my duty to ask Anglican Information to let the world know what is happening in the Anglican Church, Diocese of Upper Shire.


In the same Mangotchi area money meant for renovation a church cottage at Mpondas has since disappeared and a retired priest who was trying to pursue the issue has been told not to do so. This man is a man of integrity and has worked in the Malawi civil service as a permanent secretary – so you can imagine that he is very disciplined and capable.


The issue at hand is that most of the dioceses of Upper Shire and Lake Malawi are just operating on remote control, meaning that they have no bishops.’


Anglican-Information comments that this is thanks to some of the provincial bishops and their continuing machinations to force their own candidates on the two dioceses against the democratic wishes of the people and clergy. Whilst they are claiming the moral high ground in Zimbabwe they are up to just the same kind of mischief ignoring the wishes of the majority, minus the violence, as the Mugabe regime.

Jean Msosa continues: ‘At the same time those in positions of authority (the provincial bishops) are just there to make money and some of them just don’t care at all and have no vision for the church – other than promoting their own interests.


My plea is; do the bishops realise that they have lost direction to the extent of condoning drunken priests who are bringing shame on the Church?’ – a reference to growing anarchy particularly in Upper Shire.


There follows a plea to the acting Dean of the province, Albert Chama, ‘You mean that you are so heartless to the extent of not allowing the mediation of bishops with integrity to sort out these issues. If it could happen in Kenyan politics you mean that it could not happen here in the Church of God.’


Anglican-Information observes that sadly Bishop Albert Chama has always played the authoritarian card and has never shown any sign of listening to anybody.


Jean Msosa concludes: ‘I pray for the day when these leaders will come to their senses but it had better be soon before the Church is destroyed completely because it has become a free for all with everyone taking their share.’


Anglican-Information reports: We have been receiving heartfelt reports from clergy in Upper Shire diocese of neglected churches, buildings in a poor state of repair and deep resentment against the bishops. Likewise in Lake Malawi diocese we hear that there is a growing shortage of priests as younger ones have moved away (who would want to stay there) and older ones are retiring. Things have got so bad that even Bernard Malango the discredited previous Archbishop is conducting services regularly (albeit with much disgruntlement amongst the people and few attending) in the diocesan headquarters church of St Thomas.

Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana takes on the press

Meanwhile there is some good news: Bishop Trevor Mwamba is reported online on various websites as courageously taking on the media “The rest of the world needs to know that apart from coverage in the West the gay issue is not a pre-occupation of the poor – and we don’t want it imposed on us as a priority agenda. Our agenda is about basic survival food for the hungry and we cannot focus on other agendas. In the words of the Swahili proverb, ‘an empty stomach has no ears to hear with’.”

“I can only pray”, Mwamba goes on, “that the media will be as passionate in reporting those issues as they are on the homosexual debate.”

Anglican-Information reminds readers that once again this year harvests in that region of Central Africa covered by the Anglican Province are decidedly mixed, mostly poor and threatening famine.

Some glimmers of hope from Zimbabwe

Readers worldwide will have been encouraged that parliamentary opposition leaders at last are beginning to find a voice with the election of MDC Lovemore Moyo as Speaker. Also at the State opening of the Zimbabwean parliament the heckling of previously inviolable ‘President’ Mugabe indicates that despite all the intimidation things are changing. Any eventual removal of the Mugabe regime will affect profoundly the Anglican Church and province whose bishops Sebastian Bakare and Peter Hatendi have bravely led their people against the thug ‘archbishop’ Nobert Kunonga.

Kunonga position weakens: An extraordinary recent statement by one of the two vice – presidents of Zimbabwe at his son’s funeral on 6th August chastised the two Kunonga faction clergy officiating at the service for backing Kunonga. “They should sit down as priests and resolve their differences.” This seems to indicate a lessening of support for Kunonga, which can only be good news. (See here.)

From Anglican Information

More on the death of Bernard Mlota and imprisonment of Leonard Mondoma

From Anglican Information

Death of Bernard Mlota and imprisonment of Leonard Mondoma, Nkhota-kota, Malawi. The continuing story of two innocent men falsely accused by the UK Press of the so-called ‘poisoning’ of the late Canon Rodney Hunter.

ANGLICAN INFORMATION has recently released three postings 30th, 31st July and 1st August, available on our website, cataloguing in detail the grave injustice done to two men who were accused by the Press (See The U.K. Times 26th April ‘Enemy of Liberal Anglicans was poisoned’) of murdering the late Canon Rodney Hunter, without evidence.

This story, relatives claim, contributed towards the death of Mlota (churchwarden of All Saints’ Cathedral, Nkhota-kota) and the traumatisation of Mondoma who was Canon Hunter’s loyal cook.

Copied below is a letter we have received from one of Leonard Mondoma’s relatives:

I am a cousin to the father of Mondoma and am one of the few relatives who used to visit Leonard Mondoma in the prison. I must say that I am very thankful to Anglican Information, Amnesty International and all individuals who have played a very big role in the freedom Leonard is enjoying now after being freed on bail. Leonard continues to report to Nkhota-Kota police station every month end accompanied by his father. This far much better but this is not the freedom he wants as a normal person.

It is sad sad to note that despite Leonard’s loyalty to late Rev. Hunter, some ill-minded people could think let alone tell the world that Leonard
was responsible for the 'the murder' without having any substance of the truth. The first question that I have is 'which biblical teaching are the following?' and what were they expecting as a benefit for their actions?

What these people here in Nkhota-Kota (a reference to suspended priest Dennis Kayamba on whose word alone the men were imprisoned) and the negative minded writer in UK must know is that what they have done to our member of family has not gone well with the family. We think there is need for justice here. Those who have claimed verbally or through the papers and those that support those actions before, during or after Leonard's arrest should substanciate their claims because we are talking about someone’s life which is as dear as their own.

The family would like to ask individuals or organisations who are in a position to follow up on the events so that those who perpetuated the story so that Leonard's name is cleared and he starts to live a normal life.

Once again, thank you Anglican Information. It is my hope that you continue to help the world and those in need of your assistance in terms of telling the world the truth without fear and favour.

Thank you and God bless.

Mc Donald Kapatuka 5th August 2008

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION notes that unsurprisingly these revelations have generated a great deal of interest and we are pleased to stand up on behalf of these innocent victims as a ‘voice for the voiceless’.

back to business for the Anglican Central African Provincial Bishops

The bishops of the central African province assembled at Lambeth

After the Lambeth Conference



ANGLICAN INFORMATION observes that the Central African Bishops* did not boycott the Lambeth Conference as they might have being technically part of the Global South alliance that has taken a hard line on the current crises in the Anglican Communion. They chose sensibly to attend Lambeth in a spirit of dialogue and concern for the unity of the Communion and in support of Archbishop Rowan Williams whose heroic efforts to avert schism seem to be paying dividends.

The Bishops from Central Africa did not, of course, include the excommunicated Nolbert Kungonga of Harare, Zimbabwe who is now claiming support from the GAFCON group most of whom stayed away from Lambeth.

Bishop Trevor Mwamaba of Botswana, formerly Dean of the Province, until arbitrarily sacked by former Archbishop Bernard Malango, has had a good Lambeth. He began in the pre–Lambeth week by delivering a keynote lecture to the annual Conference of the Modern Churchpeople’s Union in Hertfordshire, U.K. Chaired by the Archbishop of Wales this annual major academic gathering also featured several other distinguished speakers, including the former Presiding Bishop of the American Episcopal Church.

Mwamba’s lecture entitled ‘A Holy Mess and the Grace of Ambiguity’ is available online on the MCU website at www.modchurchunion.org. In a wide ranging erudite address he covered a sweep of Church history speaking of schisms and difficulties through the ages and tellingly quoting the third century Church Father and African bishop of Carthage, St Cyprian: ‘It but remains that each of us should in regard to this same matter, bring forward his opinion, judging no one, nor depriving anyone of the right of communion if he should think differently’.

Mwamba is an absolutely orthodox bishop but he is unwilling to allow that Anglicans should be divided amongst themselves. Nor is he willing that the current controversies about sexuality should cause Africans to divert their attention from the real issues of the day such as HIV/Aids, poverty, corruption and hunger.

Mwamba is quoted favourably by a number of international news agencies he said of the Lambeth Conference: ‘The Conference has been excellent I would even say it has been divinely inspired. There was a growing sense of oneness, a sense that we all have a lot in common. We have been transformed by the relationships we have formed’. Mwamba a favourite candidate: The press are describing Trevor Mwamba as a favourite for the position of next Archbishop of Central Africa, a position which remains vacant until all the currently empty sees are filled.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports that Bishop Mwamba is highly respected by priests and people in the Province, not least in Malawi. Whilst he was Dean, he was on the point of achieving resolution of the longstanding impasse over the Diocese of Lake Malawi case by instigating an independent Provincial Court to investigate the unfortunate Court of Confirmation that failed to endorse the election of the new bishop, on the grounds of being a former member of the Modern Churchpeople’s Union. The then Archbishop Bernard Malango squashed this initiative – hence the continuing lack of resolution.

Mwamba is a relatively young man and future consideration of an Archbishop of Canterbury chosen from the wider Anglican Communion, as is likely within the next ten years, means that he must also be an emerging long-term candidate for the top position in the Communion. He is a bishop who is able to bridge the gap between the West and Africa and indispensable requirement in today’s Anglican Church.

* There is a photograph of the bishops of the Central African Province on our website taken at the recent Lambeth Conference, with thanks to the Diocese of South Malawi website. [Above]

===================

Meanwhile back in Zimbabwe or more precisely South Africa: The International Herald Tribune reports the unexpected but welcome news that power sharing talks in Johannesburg between Zimbabwe’s rival parties which last week broke down, seem now to have picked up again.

Both sides also seem willing to extend any deadline for agreement. With the summit of the Southern African Development Community due to start in South Africa on 16th August, the Botswana government has said it will not recognize Robert Mugabe as head of state if he attends.
Nolbert Kunonga of Harare: We can only hope and pray that a resolution to Zimbabwe does emerge. It is essential for the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe, not least because as today’s Zimbabwe Daily News reports with a headline “Zanu –PF Bishop Kunonga at it again” the disruption of a funeral at St Mary’s Churchyard, Chitungwiza, 20 kms north east of Harare. Kunonga apparently directed the violent disruption by mobile ‘phone as group of his supporters vowed that the mourners (loyal to Bishop Sebastian Bakare) would never be able to conduct the funeral.

Intriguingly, the article claims that the Kunonga faction are now affiliated to the Anglican Province of Kenya – ANGLICAN-INFORMATION as yet have been unable to gain affirmation of this extraordinary claim.

Excommunications?

News from Upper Shire Diocese, Malawi,
Anglican Central African Province

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION updated news regarding the impasse over elections for a new bishop in Upper Shire diocese, previously the diocese of former Archbishop Bernard Malango.

Readers will recall that diocesan representatives had voted unanimously against the House of Bishops favoured candidate Alinafe Kalemba, Dean of the new Anglican Theological College in Zomba. In an embarrassing confrontation with clergy Bishop James Tengatenga of Southern Malawi had tried to publicly humiliate a priest (who was then suspended from duties simply for objecting to the bishops’ choice) Tenagtenga had also earlier come out with the surprising undemocratic and racist ‘if you elect a white bishop I shall resign’ public comment.

The case was the taken to Court as clergy plaintiffs tried to stop the bishops forcing Kalemba on the diocese, dismissed on a technicality and subsequently allowed as an upcoming High Court case. All of this saga can be followed from 16th February onwards on our website – details below.

Diocesan Standing Committee Threats of excommunication
Last week the Diocese of Upper Shire Standing Committee met, in the absence of any bishops as they are at the Lambeth Conference.

There was apparently a mood for reconciliation and a desire on the part of the people for indaba. Instead it has been reported to us that the Chancellor Justice James Kalaile chairing the meeting produced ‘a lot of intimidating remarks’ culminating in ‘ushering the words of Excommunication to the plaintiffs and all who support the High Court injunction.’

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that it is now quite easy to be excommunicated in the Province of Central Africa, either for serious cause as in the case of ‘Archbishop’ Nolbert Kunonga, formerly of Harare or simply for wanting fair elections and proper procedures.

Back home:

The remaining Central African bishops will begin to return from the Lambeth Conference next week – it is our prayer that their return maintains the same spirit of reconciliation and holiness that remarkably the Archbishop of Canterbury seems to have achieved against all odds at Lambeth 2008 where even apparently irreconcilable differences can be faced up to in friendship.

If that is the case then perhaps finally the many problems of the Central African Province can be resolved by means other than habitual in-fighting and excommunication.

Death of Adson Bernard Mlota

From Anglican Information

Death Announcement of Adson Bernard Mlota (Churchwarden)
Nkhota-kota Cathedral, Malawi

Bernard Mlota passed away on 10th May 2008
and laid to rest on 12th May 2008

In a letter from the relatives of the late Bernard Mlota the relatives (nine children and 38 grandchildren) report the death of the head of their household.

Mlota was one of two men (the other being Canon Hunter’s loyal cook Leonard Mondoma) imprisoned for the claimed ‘poisoning’ of the late Canon Rodney Hunter. They were arrested and held without charge with no evidence against them other than the word of a suspended priest, Dennis Kayamba. Shortly after Ruth Gledhill of the UK Times carried the story on 26th April ‘Enemy of Liberal Anglicans was poisoned’. Subsequently, it was Ruth Gledhill herself who reinforced this tragedy by triumphantly declaring the names of the so-called poisons used on Hunter – these turned out to be medications.

The ‘poisoning’ story was copied in various manifestations and carried around the world effectively as an uncritical condemnation of the two innocent men as murderers – not least in the Malawi newspapers. It was photocopied and distributed, for example, at Hunter’s Requiem Mass, the preacher at that Mass declared that Hunter had been murdered – all without evidence.

Subsequently, Bernard Mlota was released on bail but Leonard Mondoma continued to languish in what has been described as the ‘hell-hole’ of Nokhota-kota prison for almost 18 months. Eventually and recently a compassionate lawyer who works for Amnesty International has managed to get him out on bail.

Death of Bernard Mlota:
In their letter the relatives of Bernard Mlota have included the following:

We feel the following factors contributed much to his sudden death:
1. Ill –treatment while in and outside prison
2. His detention for alleged murder case delayed him to consult medical personnel
3. Poor financial stand for medical bills whilst on bail
4. His second son (Brightone) also got imprisoned when he was fighting in court to secure bail for his father

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that Mlota had become a pariah figure because of the press reports (which had their origin in the Gledhill Times reportage) about him saying that he was a murderer. This led to ill treatment in and out of prison and difficulties in obtaining medical care and monies to pay medical bills. In addition Malawi is a country that still has the death penalty on the statute books. Consequently and understandably his mental state suffered considerably.

‘Undoubtedly’ say Mlota’s relatives, ‘he was a victim of church politics’.

– stoked says ANGLICAN-INFORMATION by irresponsible press reporting.

The Gledhill response:
Ruth Gledhill’s standard response to this tragedy is that she did not publish her article until after the arrests. That is an obfuscation that deliberately misses the point. The widely circulated offending article published soon after the arrests was accusatory and clearly incriminatory and led immediately to an assumption of guilt on the part of two innocent men who have since paid a terrible price. Mlota is dead – a death hasted the relatives claim by how he was treated after the accusations against him. Mondoma, who ironically was Canon Hunter most loyal supporter, is now traumatised, unwell and stranded in a no-man’s land of false accusation awaiting a trial that will probably never come.

This is a matter for the Press Complaints Commission two poor, innocent Third World men and their bewildered families have been caught up in the scripted accusations of a journalist who should know better. There must be at least public and published apology for a travesty of natural justice.

The damage that irresponsible reporting can do - a travesty of justice in Malawi. Part 2

From Anglican Information

A story that won’t go away: The accusations made that the late Canon Rodney Hunter was poisoned in 2007 have long since been discredited by those who know and understand the story. Hunter had cancer, the so-called poisons were medications, and the two accused (including Hunter’s loyal cook) were slapped into Nkhota-kota prison simply on the word of a twice-suspended priest and disgruntled cohort of Hunter, one Dennis Kayamba.

One of the accused Bernard Mlota was released on bail fairly soon afterwards but emerged traumatised and never fully recovered. Conditions in Malawian prisons are terrible and in a country that still has the death penalty the psychological stress of a false accusation is considerable. Bernard Mlota has now died leaving nine children and thirty-eight grandchildren bereft of their earning head of family.

The other accused, Hunter’s faithful cook Leonard Mondoma, languished in prison for well over a year until humanitarian efforts by a lawyer who works for Amnesty International finally got bail. Mondoma is now out and in poor physical condition.

Bernard Mlota’s family understandably are attributing his death to his terrible experiences and implying, rightly in our view, that accusatory press coverage of the event claiming that Hunter had been poisoned led to delays in his release, difficulty in paying for medication, ill-treatment (as if he were guilty even though he had not been charged) and the trauma of seeing his son imprisoned simply for trying to get bail for his father.

Readers will observe that the Internet to this day is full of stories claiming murder on the part of the two innocent men based on the reportage of Ruth Gledhill of the U.K. Times newspaper. Ruth Gledhill has never withdrawn her damaging accusations or apologised.

Andrew Brown the highly respected commentator of the U.K. Church Times took Ruth Gledhill on in this matter and his observations can be read at his website: www.thewormbook.com see entry for 2nd May 2007. Brown discredited Gledhill’s report as did our own 27th April and 4th May 2007 on our archive website.

Conspiracy theories:
This weblog and publication is regularly covered and posted by other websites and our last issue of 30th July ‘The Hunter case false accusations’ has been posted – and – removed! [From Only Connect]

We are aware that Ruth Gledhill is rattled by these developments but do not believe that she has somehow threatened other webmasters if they don’t stop criticising her – this isn’t China and the Olympic Games. In any case she will have to explain herself publicly sooner or later because back in poverty stricken Malawi a grave injustice has been done. One innocent man has died and another is sick and just at this moment we seem to be the only website courageous enough to carry the story. 

Zimbabwe: Bishop Bakare speaks from the Lambeth Conference

Meanwhile at the Lambeth Conference at the Universaity of Kent, Canterbury and concerning Zimbabwe: As reported by the Anglican Church of Canada website and various others, Bishop Sebastian Bakare Bishop of Harare, who replaced excommunicated Mugabe mouthpiece, Nolbert Kunonga warned on the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed on 21st July by Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsangerai.

‘History did not bode well for this undertaking – a similar undertaking signed in 1981 between Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo to end the civil war in Matabeleand, made Nkomo a member of the Mugabe government and effectively ended all opposition and the disappearance of Nkomo’s ZAPU party.’

Bishop Bakare said: “I am very fearful for the future coming from our history.’ – ‘I want to believe that the opposition party is aware thet Mugabe isn’t there just to hand in power – The MOU provides little hope.”

He went on to speak of Anglicans who “have stood up to the police – it’s their Church they’re fighting for… that’s the courage people have developed. What Zimbabweans’ urgently need is a deep sense of security without fear, the basic necessities of food and medicines and a climate where the rule of law is observed and human dignity is respected.”

Latest reports today speak of an impasse in the MOU talks and Morgan Tsangerai’s negotiators refusing the offer of a Vice-Presidential position for him – quite rightly as he won the Presidential election, even though it was heavily rigged.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reminds readers of how close to Nolbert Kunonga and Robert Mugabe former Archbishop Bernard Malango has been and how easy it would be for the poison (an effective metaphorical one this time) of the Mugabe regime to contaminate the thinking of some of the bishops of the Anglican Central African Province.

Watch, pray and approach what a certain U.K. journalists writes with great caution.

The Hunter case - false accusations and irresponsible reporting countered.

The ANGLICAN-INFORMATION team of volunteers regularly monitor what is known colloquially as the ‘blogosphere’. This is collective term that embraces the concept of a community on the Internet of those who ‘blog’ or in other words those who produce web logs, usually in response to news items posted on websites such as our own.

This unmonitored and untrammelled virtual world of online opinion can be eccentric even downright crazy but it is increasingly important as a vehicle for opinion and getting at the real news. ‘Bloggers’ often post their contributions under pseudonyms and occasionally under their real names.

In this respect we would point readers to reputable and moderate sites such as ‘Thinking Anglicans’ or ‘MCU Only Connect’ both of which can easily be found using Internet searches.

From the ‘Thinking Anglicans’ site in the last few days some information regarding Malawi. Itself quoting the UK Church Times weblog and respected journalist Pat Ashworth in a Lambeth Conference article, Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana, former Dean of the Anglican Central African Province has been trying to make sense of the complicated situation in the Anglican Communion.

False accusations: This article suddenly produced a comment from a ‘robroy’ posted on Monday 28th July accusing Mwamba of trying to foist the British priest Nicholas Henderson on the Diocese of Lake Malawi, and accusing both of them of somehow being related to the death of the late Canon Rodney Hunter of Nhkota-kota.

Irresponsible newspaper reporters: Readers will long ago recall that thanks to the columns of UK newspaper ‘The Times’ and reporter Ruth Gledhill the false accusations of the poisoning of the late Canon Hunter were widely circulated. Despite having long since been discredited (the so-called poisons were in fact medications) an innocent man, Leonard Mondoma (Hunter’s faithful cook) languished in Nkhota-kota prison for 18 months and the other accused (and briefly imprisoned) Bernard Mlota has since died – a death hastened, relatives now claim, by his imprisonment and the subsequent press hounding and stoking up of the case from the likes of Ms Gledhill. However, at no point does Ruth Gledhill point the finger of accusation at the real culprit in this tragic story, namely the suspended priest Denis Kayamba on whose accusations alone the arrests were originally made.

The response of the Internet: But now, better late than never and in response to the iniquities of the misreported Hunter poisoning story, including the suffering of the two innocent men together, with the unfair sacking of Bishop Trevor Mwamba, various bloggers take up ‘robroy’s’ accusations on the Thinking Anglicans site:

‘Cryptogram’ responds: ‘It makes one wonder at the extent of the skulduggery behind his (Bishop Mwamba) deposition as Provincial Dean by Archbishop Bernard Malango and just whose strings were being pulled there?’ – a reference to the sacking of Mwamba and his replacement by Malango clone Bishop Albert Chama of Northern Zambia.

‘BillyD’ responds: Leviticus 19 v 16 – look it up robroy. The text reads ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbour’s life’. ANGLICAN-INFORMATION comments: In Malawi it should be noted still has the death penalty, a fact that robroy and Ruth Gledhill need to reflect on before continuing with false accusations.

‘MKP’ responds: ‘Just where is the evidence for this (the poisoning of Hunter) Robroy? Could you perhaps be a confidant of the retired Bishop of Upper Shire (Malango) - perhaps?’

‘Penwatch’ responds: ‘Robroy’s comments about Bishop Trevor Mwama and the death of Canon Rodney Hunter in Malawi must rank as some of the silliest and most libellous posted on this blogsite for some time.

The facts are that Hunter was not poisoned, he died of bowel cancer for which he had had a major operation. When he died a suspended priest named Denis Kayamba accused Hunter’s loyal and faithful cook and one other of ‘poisoning’ Hunter, with no evidence whatsoever – Ruth Gledhill of the Times mischievously ran this story, uncritically. They (the accused) were both immediately imprisoned – subsequently the other man was released (he has since died) but the cook Leonard Mondoma continued to languish in life-threatening conditions in prison for 18 months.

Anyone, such as Robroy who makes such a stupid accusation is in danger of being complaisant in an appalling miscarriage of justice.

By the way, as far as I know Trevor Mwamba and the Bishop-elect of Lake Malawi have never met and when Hunter died, Mwamba was in Botswana and Nicholas Henderson in London.

Perhaps Robroy would like to visit Nhkota-kota prison for a fact-finding tour – he might not be ready to make such claims in future?

At this point Ruth Gledhill the troublemaking Times journalist (clearly stung by the comments) pops up and says: ‘Ref the above, just to make it clear, I wrote about Hunter’s death after the two men had been arrested and charged. The above comment might give the impression that the men were charged partly as a result of a story I wrote, which is not the case.’

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION responds to Ruth Gledhill – you are being disingenuous and irresponsible because you have created a story and its concomitant ramifications, never denied or corrected by you, that has gone round the world in a most damaging way, being reproduced as authentic news in numerous papers and articles. This has probably contributed (as the relatives now imply in recently made claims) to the death of Bernard Mlota and to the long, life-threatening (mostly without any charge) incarceration of Leonard Mondoma – Mondama has not yet recovered from the effects of his imprisonment.

At least a public apology should be forthcoming and perhaps you Ruth Gledhill would like to pay a visit to an African prison to see just what it might be like to spend some time there?

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION says to Ruth Gledhill – it would be better if you kept out of Africa and from interfering in matters about which you do not fully understand – you are supposed to be an investigative journalist with a responsibility to publish the truth, not your own prejudicial opinions.

Finally the words of ‘Malcom+’ ‘Robroy rarely, if ever, bring facts to bear. All he contributes is serial slander and ad hominem attacks.

Here is what we know: The Diocese of Lake Malawi chose a bishop. He was, despite robroy’s lies, not ‘foisted’ on them by anyone.

The then Primate (Bernard Malango) of Central Africa engineered a failure of the necessary consents, using accusations of a gay-positive position as a wedge issue. The then Primate proceeded to sack Mwamba as Dean of the Province on the grounds that he was not sufficiently homophobic.

Now, with the retirement of the then Primate, his loyalists continue to sideline Mwamba, continue to prevent the appointment of a new bishop in Lake Malawi …………. all because they do not believe they can control the outcomes.’

Thus ANGLICAN-INFORMATION concludes a small excursion into the world of the blogosphere where ironically the truth may be found if you look carefully enough.