President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the State and the church are inseparable and the relationship dates back to the days of the struggle for independence from colonial rule.
Mnangagwa made the remarks at the centenary celebrations of ZAOGA Forward in Faith Ministries founder, Archbishop Ezekiel Guti held at Glamis Arena in Harare on Sunday. He said:
The partnership and synergy between the State and Church is inseparable and dates back to the days of our protracted armed liberation struggle.
At cottage 953 in Harare Highfields, ZAOGA was nurtured to ultimately occupy the space that was predominantly a preserve of missionaries from beyond our borders.
Mnangagwa assured the church that under his Government, freedom of worship is guaranteed. He said:
I want to assure the Church fraternity that under the Second Republic, freedom of worship is constitutionally guaranteed.
My Government will further facilitate an enabling environment for the Church to carry out the great commission and to win souls, heal the sick and proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Equally orphans, widows, the disabled and the elderly must be taken care of.
Together, as the State and Church, let us also nurture a citizenry, especially the youth, who are patriotic, disciplined, morally upright and loyal to our country Zimbabwe.
It is commendable, that to date, the Church fraternity has remained a beacon of Ubuntu/Hunhu as well as accelerating social development.
Specifically, your ZAOGA churches, educational institutions and Bible schools are churning out graduates who are ably serving in our national institutions, across Government and in the private sector.
ZAOGA-FIF runs the Mbuya Dorcas Hospital, Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, Ezekiel Television, and has Dress Making Training Centres as well as primary and secondary schools. Said Mnangagwa:
These and other life-transforming projects you have undertaken as a Church are praiseworthy.
Accordingly, in 2021 my Government saw it befitting to honour and confer with Archbishop Baba Guti, with the Order of the Star of Zimbabwe.
Archbishop Guti’s wife, Euna, expressed gratitude to Mnangagwa for attending the celebrations.
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