Anglicans being targeted in Zimbabwe

JOHANNESBURG, Zimbabwe, May 16 (UPI) -- Anglicans living in Zimbabwe are being targeted by government troops in preparation for an upcoming electoral runoff, Anglican officials say.

Bishop Sebastian Bakare said government forces are attempting to intimidate any Anglicans who are suspected of not supporting renegade Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, who is a strong supporter of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, The New York Times said Friday.

"As a theologian who has read a lot about the persecution of the early Christians, I'm really feeling connected to that history," Bakare said. "We are being persecuted."

Kunonga broke from the Anglican Church in 2007 and heralded Mugabe as "a prophet of God," the Times said.

The U.S. newspaper said the worldwide Anglican Communion has since expressed concern regarding the relationship between the two leaders and issued a plea to all Christians to oppose the current policies in Zimbabwe.

Bakare's followers say those actions helped prompt the government to label most Anglicans as potential opposition supporters worthy of persecution and intimidation.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International