Anglican Communion News Service

[WCC] Five members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) have just spent a week on a pastoral visit to Zimbabwe, a country that is currently experiencing widespread social upheaval. They arrived in the capital, Harare, on 20 May.

According to Melaku Kifle of the WCC International Relations staff, the visit had four main objectives. These included an expression of solidarity with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, fact-finding about the economic and political situation, discussion of plans to monitor the forthcoming presidential elections, and preparation for an ecumenical pastoral team to visit the country.

"The delegation wished to be better informed in order to provide the guidance that churches and partners around the world seek of the WCC," Kifle said.

The presidential elections in Zimbabwe are scheduled for 24th-25th June 2000, which leaves very little time for the organization of effective monitoring and voter education. As well as church leaders, many civil and political leaders met with the WCC delegation to discuss some of the issues surrounding the forthcoming elections.

Other members of the delegation included representatives from the All Africa Conference of Churches, the South African Council of Churches, and the Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation.