Zanzibar. The Roman Catholic Diocese in Zanzibar on Monday blamed the Zanzibar government for what he termed as inability to protect Christian religious leaders.
The Zanzibar Bishop Augustine Shao told a news conference in Zanzibar that the Church has been reporting evidence on threats issued to the Christian leaders but “all these have fallen on deaf ears”.
Bishop Shao said some people had been sending threats and hatred text messages and leaflets but nobody had been arrested in connection to that.
Bishop Shao said some people had been sending threats and hatred text messages and leaflets but nobody had been arrested in connection to that.
He was briefing journalists on funeral arrangements for Father Evarist Mushi, 55, who was murdered on Sunday near a Church at Mtoni in the Zanzibar Municipality. In a quick rejoinder, the Zanzibar police commissioner, Mr Mussa Ali Mussa, dismissed Bishop Shao’s observations, saying the police were not working under anybody’s pressure. “Do you want us to protect Catholics, even if they are in their normal chores? We have so many cases and we are interrogating some suspects,” said Mr Mussa.
He added: “We are not working under anybody’s pressure. We have also seen leaflets in the streets but we don’t know people behind them. How can we arrest them?”
Bishop Shao said the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations have written to President Jakaya Kikwete and the Zanzibar leader, Dr Ali Mohammed Shein, but no action had been taken. He said Christians were being attacked by people who received assistance from overseas.
“I am not saying that the police should guard us in our homes but they should at least listen to us when we seek their assistance,” said the cleric.
Speaking on the late Fr Mushi’s funeral arrangements, Bishop Shao said a requiem mass will be held today at the St Joseph Parish at Minara Miwili and later laid to rest at Kitope.
He said Fr Mushi has served the Zanzibar Parish for the past 10 years. He moved to Zanzibar when he was 18 years old. Fr Thomas Assenga, a colleague of Fr Mushi, said he spent the last moment talking to him for four hours on Saturday night. He was shoot dead the following day at around 7am.
source:thecitizen.co.tz
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