Posted on 08/27/2002 11:39:20 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A British-based priest has been forced to flee to a safe house after being arrested three times in Zimbabwe by President Robert Mugabe's security police, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Plymouth said today.
Bishop Christopher Budd strongly condemned the treatment of Father Patrick ``P J`` Kelly a priest of the Plymouth Diocese who has been working in Zimbabwe.
A spokesman for the diocese said Fr Kelly, who was born in Tubbercurry, County Sligo, Ireland, had been interrogated on three occasions by Mr Mugabe`s Central Intelligence Organisation, who accused him of promoting ``opposition politics``.
He was then visited by so-called war veterans who ordered him to ``stop spreading subversive politics`` or leave his parish of St Gabriel`s, Nyanga, in the Diocese of Mutare, eastern Zimbabwe, he added.
Bishop Budd said today: ``Fr P J has always been on the side of the people and would not agree to stop speaking the truth about justice in Zimbabwe.
``Therefore, he has been forced to leave his parish for his personal safety.
``I have spoken to Fr P J on the phone and he told me that a member of his parish was beaten up by the Central Intelligence Organisation after being interrogated.``
Bishop Budd stressed: ``These events have nothing to do with white farmers in Zimbabwe occupying most of the good land and everything to do with the fundamental attitude of the Mugabe government to its own people, which is an unjust one.``
Fr Kelly was ordained in 1967 and worked in the parish of St Peter`s, Crownhill, Plymouth, for four years before going to the Diocesan African Mission in Kenya in 1971.
He was assigned to Zimbabwe in 1998, and worked in St Gabriel`s Parish, Nyanga, until he was forced to leave on Wednesday last week.
The diocesan spokesman said Fr Kelly was first detained by the Central Intelligence Organisation in March this year and accused of promoting opposition politics.
He was later questioned again by the CIO on two consecutive days August 14 and 15, when the same accusation was made.
The Plymouth diocese said the priest was now in a safe house.
Bump!
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