Catholic pressure may sway Mugabe to reform - analysts

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - The Catholic Church's sharp criticism of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe could have a greater influence in persuading him to discuss political reform than a mass of attacks from elsewhere, political analysts said.

Zimbabwe's Catholic bishops accused Mugabe and his officials of running a bad and corrupt government and abusing the political rights of Zimbabweans in a pastoral letter posted in churches throughout the southern African nation during Easter.

Neither Mugabe, a practicing Catholic, nor his officials have publicly responded to the warning from Zimbabwe's Catholic Bishops' Conference that radical reforms were needed to avert a mass uprising in the economically-strapped country.

"The pastoral letter presents a new challenge to Mugabe and will probably help persuade him that he needs to be talking about electoral and constitutional reforms, too, as pressure is mounting on him," said Eldred Masunungure, a political science professor at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare.

"The Catholic bishops bring a new moral authority to the Zimbabwe crisis, which Mugabe cannot simply dismiss offhand by suggesting that they are supping with his Western enemies," he added.

Mugabe, who counts a number of Catholic priests among his friends, has traditionally taken a hands-off approach to political critics within the Catholic Church, the largest Christian denomination in Zimbabwe.

He has avoided direct confrontation with the bishops and spared them and other Catholic leaders from the hardline tactics used to muzzle the country's formal opposition, including the main Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party.

MDC officials were not available for comment on Tuesday, but over the years the opposition has been urging Church leaders to speak up on the Zimbabwe crisis, and to get involved in the search for a solution.

STRIDENT ATTACK

In their letter, which was the church's most strident attack on Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party in years, the bishops pointedly condemned Harare's violent March 11 crackdown on MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other members of the opposition.

Tsvangirai was among dozens of anti-Mugabe activists who sustained serious injuries after being arrested by police at an aborted prayer rally. Reports of their beatings in police stations prompted outrage and protests from Western nations.

Mugabe, who has branded the MDC a puppet of Western powers, accuses the opposition of launching petrol bomb attacks on police stations as part of a "terrorist campaign" to overthrow his government.

Although the Catholic bishops have deplored the violence and called for free elections and a new constitution, they are not seen likely to back street protests to end Mugabe's 27-year rule, which could give them more sway with the government than those who are committed to a mass revolt.

John Makumbe, a Zimbabwean political commentator and Mugabe critic, said local Christian leaders could play a large role in finding a solution to the crisis.

"I think after such a long silence, a criminal silence in my view, the Catholic bishops have woken up to this disaster, and the other church leaders will probably do the same soon and help sort out this crisis," Makumbe said.