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By Nhau Mangirazi
Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) leader Arch Bishop Tobias Zunguzira has warned other church members against early marriages that tear the social fabric in communities.
Addressing scores of church members in the Magunje area at the weekend, Zunguzira called on better morale from leaders. He made the call during the mass ordination of five bishops in Hurungwe.
“Some of the apostolic leaders crave polygamy. It is fine if you can look after all your wives without depriving them of their liberty as married women.
“You must love each of them equally. I am against forced marriages of minors by the elderly in the name of the priesthood. This is diabolic. We are against the abuse of girls as sex objects. It is morally wrong to marry off young girls in the name of apostolic churches,” he added.
Ironically, Hurungwe district is one of the hotspots of forced marriage due to cultural and religious beliefs, and poverty among other drivers in Mashonaland West province.
Zunguzira also called on new bishops to be principled by unifying communities and running away from dividing society.
“Some have formed splinter churches because of greed claiming it’s a call by God to lead but true leaders are humble, God-fearing, and respect human life. We don’t want people who abuse churches’ finances and are not accountable for their actions. We must respect local traditional laws and leaders,” he said.
Several ACCZ national and provincial leaders were hosted in Hurungwe.