DISGRACED Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube made a shocking admission to the sex allegations involving a married woman despite his earlier claims that the charges were orchestrated by the state in order to prevent him from speaking out on human rights, the Zimbabwe Guardian can reveal.
Archbishop Pius Ncube, for long the most outspoken critic of President Robert Mugabe made the shocking revelation to Frontier Africa TV — an independent film production company — just before he boarded a plane for the Vatican in November 2007.
The video has now been released only a week to the crucial harmonised elections in Zimbabwe.
In the video, Ncube apologised and spoke out fiercely against President Mugabe ahead of the March 29 elections.
“It is true, I do admit that I did fail in keeping God's commandment with regard to adultery," admitted Pius Ncube in the interview. “Having failed in keeping the Seventh Commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery, I would like to apologise to you, I'd like to apologise that so many of you were praying for me, for the fact that so many of you standing with me in fact suffered so much.”
Ncube was reported to have been involved with Rosemary Sibanda — a married woman and member of his parish. It was reported that Sibanda herself admitted that she had an affair with the Archbishop.
On the advice of his lawyer Ncube had denied the allegations although Zimbabwean TV had been showing a compromising video of Ncube and Sibanda repeatedly over a number of days. These events led to Ncube’s decision to resign from his post.
He was subsequently secretly summoned to the Vatican in November last year.
It is mandatory for an Archbishop to offer an explanation to the Vatican when such allegations are made.
Ncube is said to have admitted also to Pope Benedict XVI that he broke his vow of celibacy.
The former Archbishop’s apology was directed to the people of Zimbabwe, mainly the Catholic Community who had followed his leadership for many years.
Ncube has disappeared from the political scene in Zimbabwe, where he had gained notoriety by criticising harshly president Mugabe and his government.
His disappearance could simply be the application of a Church rule that bans priests and bishops from taking part in politics. Canon law forbids members of the clergy from participating directly in politics although Ncube has been heavily involved in the politics in Zimbabwe.
Canon 401, section 2, of the Code of Canon Law, prohibits Ncube from further work until the Vatican has given the greenlight.
His lawyer could have also advised him against political activity until he had met with the Pope.
Ncube is unlikely to be permitted to return to Zimbabwe until later this year where he will most likely be allowed to practise as an ordinary priest and not an archbishop.
Frontier Africa TV has a year-long relationship with the Archbishop. They were making a documentary on the archbishop last year when the story broke.
Frontier Africa TV is an independent broadcast company run by three journalists, who are also its directors - Patrick Barth, Fred Bridgland and David Pratt. They are based in London and Johannesburg.
Supporters and members of Ncube, who did not believe the allegations, and who thought they were malicious and untrue, will now be left in the cold after the revelations. Many of them had sprung to the defence of the archbishop.
Many of the critics thought the government of President Mugabe was trying to divert attention from Zimbabwe’s woes by publishing Pius Ncube’s story.
The Zimbabwean newspaper last week published a story on the Archbishop saying he had refused to be silenced by the Zimbabwe government. In what they called several “sting operations against him by the Mugabe regime,” the paper said Ncube had called for a ‘mass uprising’ “if voting is rigged in favour of the ruling Zanu PF.”
This story will not be received well by Wilf Mbanga, the editor of the paper, who had always defended the archbishop and labelled the story a ‘lie’ and labelled Ncube a ‘victim of the state’.
President Mugabe has called Ncube a half-wit and a liar. After the March 2005 elections, Ncube repeated his call for a peaceful rebellion. Referring to Mugabe, he said “I am praying that he goes home gently; At 84, he has lived a full life.”
Pius Ncube is now believed to be resident in the United Kingdom until his fate is decided.
He has since been interviewed on the BBC’s Heaven and Earth Programme speaking against President Mugabe and the forthcoming elections.
See an extract from the 15-minute documentary below:
BODIDILEE, BULAWAYO • na Subject: WHOSE THE DADDY THEN? Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:45:15 • You know this sex thing? Isinit only certain birds like swans, that don't cross over the line, which is why they put swans on wedding cakes, eh? Funny (strange) that. Many birds (women) used to be much more faithful than men...
However, when it became public knowledge that some men started abusing our children, the rules changed. What the heck you gotta do in order to save your kids, eh? Did she do dat deed to save her kids? Men, including our own husbands, wont even go out and castrate any man who has abused his own kid, yet will react in a totally different manner if some dude lays his woman? It doesnt make sense.
Not that it happened in this instance, you understand, but in some cases it could happen that way.
It hurts a man terribly to find his woman being unfaithful, and vice versa, but take it a step further: Men do not understand women, okay, so therefore, you have little or no idea what it does to a woman when she discovers her own man, or any man for that matter, abusing a child. Any child!
Lesson 1: it is an innate abhorent trait in any women's psyche which many men simply do not comprehendo. It is totally offsides, no matter whose child it is.
So, sometimes a woman will sleep with a man just to save her kid from being abused. Who knows why this lady slept with Pius. I can just check her out now kneeling after the deed, clapping and saying thank you!
Pius was caught with his hands in the till, so to speak. Was it the natural urge to procreate that drove him to destroy his own career, did continually being called Father derail him?
Either way, he should now pay her husband (am sure his bosses will help him out here?) and help her get a divorce and marry her. That would be the decent thing to do - he will have a much quieter life after that.
If he is serious about this woman, he should marry her and maybe become a real father, when he will automatically re-evaluate his life... sadly, lying about it has only devalued their relationship.
But, if he marries her, he will then spend his nights, instead of abusing the real Big Daddy of the Nation, worrying himself sick that someone else is trying to sleep with her, and THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY will take on a whole new meaning for him. Now he is blaming uMugabe for his sexual transgressions - unreal! Could this erupt into a cult?
Although he has crossed the line, he could still eventually turn the whole situation around - and use it as a witness to his life - provided he does the right thing and marries her. You cannot really talk the walk until you have walked it. Imagine the sermon he could eventually give on this now since he has gone half the journey!
If he does NOT do this honourable thing, then it underlines the fact that he is obviously not above average after all, and is just your average man who has the same needs as any other, and that for all his robes, he actually condones adultery.
And, that despite being a man of the church he, too, underlines what many other underlings still believe: that women are second class citizens to be used and abused. This is what actually makes him unpopular right now, besides having broken many other hearts, including the wife of his ex-friend and his ex-friend's.
Anyway, I always thought the law says that sex is okay between CONSENTING ADULTS!
Never children, just ADULTS! All adults. Any adults. No matter who, but NEVER, NEVER innocent kids!
Decay, Mexico • na Subject: A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do... Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:16:40 • Now, if his surname was Clinton, and he was married, he could capitalise on this by pushing his wife into politics... and getting back into everyone's favor again.
It is strange how we all share the same bodily functions, no matter what our role in life, because we cannot help ourselves - be it feeding our face or going to the loo, because a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do... and as for rules, rules is meant to be broke, isinit? So long as he never raped a child I actually don't care.
n/a • n/a Subject: n/a Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:50:28 • Pius will answer to God as will Bob and his cronies. The only reason Pius incident was brought to the public's attention is because of his outspokeness against the ruling party. Simple. He is simply a man who went astray, has now admitted to wrongdoing and this will soon be a thing of the past.
nomalanga • n/a Subject: Pius as ordinary as any Zimbabwean Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:02:31 • Pius is an ordinary Zimbabwean.He is a mere Catholic and without igniting debate about various denominations represented in the country,I would say Pius is no different from someone I meet in a kombi and we start discussing the prevailing hardships.He is just one among many Catholics and his social rank varies from individual to individual depending on people's various persuasions.Even Christian-wise,there are some people who dodnot subscribe to the Catholic way of doing things.
I am yet to hear anyone say they ever worshipped him.Even the Catholics who go to St Patricks,I havent heard any of them say anything nearer to worshipping that man although they call him Father as required by their denomination's laws.
Omugabe • dziva@sanandresano.com Subject: Enemies of Africans beware; your time is about up! Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:10:51 • Enemies of Zim Patriots and of Magnanimous Mugabe will ALL eventually fall on their sword; because they are unprincipled creatures without virtue and without integrity.
Im-Pius Ncube is not only a wife thief; Ncube is also a LIAR!
This is significant; because Ncube is fond of selling his African soul to the equally lying devils of Europe, who also want to undermine Zim and Africa.
One positive surrounding Ncube wife-stealing is that he rubbished the foolish forced celibacy.
Another positive (FOR NOW) is that although Ncube continues disgrace himself by being a part of the christian catholic institution of child sodomy, Ncube has not been charged with sodomizing children.
n/a • n/a Subject: n/a Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:26:07 • Pius Ncube's purported bravery was a means to an end. By reminding us how revolting Bob is, he was conveniently creating a camouflage for his own enjoyable immorality. By keeping our eyes on Bob, we couldn't possibly have been bothered to scrutinise the Archibishop's exploits.
While I accept that we are all fallible, we must remember that Pius Ncude chose to make himself look like a champion of political correctness and morality. If he were an ordinary person, his fall would not matter much.
Surely the Archibishop cannot demand one moral standard for Bob but a less stringent one for himself. His fall discredits everyone else who was genuinely sympathising with him in good faith. Such is the folly of a lot of Zimbabweans. We worship individuals and are prepared to defend them even when they are dead wrong. Are people saying it is okay for someone to bed your wife just because he champions what you believe to be a good cause?
In his interviews, the Archibishop also ought to separate issues to do with his adulterous cravings from from issues to do with politics. He should not use politics to downplay his wrongs. And guess what? He would have continued banging if it were not for Bob's investigative genius.
n/a • n/a Subject: U also believed him at one time Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:50:55 • Amazing that you are pointing fingures at Wilf and others,maimbonyorawo muchitaura what everyone else has been saying about Pius and state apparatus saka chiregai trying to absolve yourselves coz you also played to the tune.Getting the latest dimension doesn't make you any different although u try to convince us through this piece.
Whether Pius akaita chiureb is neither here nor there in Zim politics coz u dont need to be celibate for u to see Mugabe's excesses.Aitaura chokwadi during those days that is why the state received the news with jubilation.You cannot deny that Zanu politicised the whole thing.
Kuura kwaPius ndekwake nechurch yake.It is only Mugabe and the other half of the country who are Catholics vamwe atina basa nazvo zvechurch yave coz we have our own churches.Otherwise Pius was always echoing the wishes of most Zimbabweans including myself - kuti Mugabe ngaachienda zvake wonozorora.
Zvechiure izvo ndezvake and most media,including ZimGuardian at one time believed he was being framed.I have url to some of your stories on the issue.
Arthur Gwagwa • arthurgwagwa@yahoo.com Subject: Poor judgement Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:10:00 • The story of Ncube is a clear demonstration that we can all miss it but if we are public figures we need to be candid in telling the truth to the public if things do go wrong as they sometimes do. And we must do so and apologise at the first available opportunity. People can easily forgive you if you do that but if you deny or forestall telling the truth, you can easily damage your credibility and people may question your motives in public life. The case of Elliot spitzer, the former New York Governor may shed light on how Americans treat such issues and how we need to come out clean to the people whose interests we stand for. I think this case raises the issue of presumed immunity that the Clergy has thus far enjoyed. As moral standard bearers, they need to be accountable to the flock the pastor. That has not been the case in Zimbabwe where pastors do what they want, however they want anytime they want to. The current Senate investigation into the abuse of the tax exempt status by big American televangelists must send very clear signals to us Christians that as Christians and indeed our pastors, we dont live above the law and accountability. The same Jesus whom we worship payed tax and obeyed his father and national authorities. We must also do the same. It riles me when I see pastors who do not serve their people anymore or God but who abuse their authority and people's money. Le the truth be told, we have missed the goal Christians please!
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