extremes of wealth and poverty existing side by side, and those enjoying prosperity not caring enough to begin to tackle the root causes of homelessness, unemployment and degrading poverty. As Christians it is our conviction that all the rich resources of the earth, including the harvest, are gifts of a generous and loving God. These good gifts are given to us in trust for the benefit of all. The task of leadership therefore is to act as good stewards of God’s bounty, ensuring that “one man’s greed does not become another’s need”, and most particularly that the poor are not overlooked in the general distribution. Hence when we pray in our Lord’s words “Give us this day our daily bread”, we are not only acknowledging our common dependence on the generosity of the heavenly Father; we are also facing up to our interdependence as human beings and our responsibility to one another. To pray “Give ME . . . MY bread” would be another prayer entirely, and hardly Christian. It is therefore commonly accepted that one of the foremost duties of any government is to ensure an adequate supply of food for all. Indeed a measure of the integrity of any administration is the provision it makes for those who are least able to fend for themselves. Race, tribe, religion and political affiliation do not come into it. A government on the other hand that, having created or allowed a famine situation to develop, then uses its powers deliberately to withhold food from one section of the population, has violated its most sacred trust. The same is true of a government which victimizes the poor or exacts retribution from those it perceives as supporting a different political party. Such a government has lost all moral and spiritual authority to govern. In Christian terms it has passed over from being an authority “established by God” and deserving of respect and obedience (Romans chapter 13) to becoming a Satanic beast which it is the duty of all good Christians to resist to the utmost (Revelations chapter 13). Leaving aside for the present the root causes of our present predicament, we take it to be self-evident that no effort should be spared in obtaining and distributing relief supplies of food, starting with those at greatest risk, including the recently dispossessed street traders and victims of political abuse. This is clearly a matter of the utmost urgency, requiring the concerted efforts of the whole nation - and indeed the international community. So far as the local effort is concerned we call on those in power forthwith to remove the unnecessary controls and obstacles which until now have blocked the relief efforts of private and non-governmental organisations. Our particular concern is with empowering the churches to play their full part in humanitarian relief, but at the same time we are aware there are may other civic players who are ready and able to assist. It is scandal in our view that so many NGOs are standing idly by for fear of jeopardising their own interest while the suffering of the hungry and homeless intensifies with every passing day. What they need, and the nation needs, is a clear signal that the policy of politicising food is over, and that any contribution towards averting the famine, is now welcome. So we pray, and invite all who share our sense of gratitude to God and love for his children, to pray with us: “Give us this day our daily bread”. Pastoral Letter Of The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference entitled “The Cry of the Poor”, June 2005 We, the members of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, issued a press statement on June 2, 2005, in regard to the ‘clean up’ operation, dubbed ‘Operation Restore Order’ in which we expressed our dismay at the suffering and hardship experienced by the most vulnerable members of society in some areas nationwide. Now, almost four weeks after the event, countless numbers of men, women with babies, children of school age, the old and the sick, continue to sleep in the open air at winter temperatures near to freezing. These people urgently need shelter, food, clothing, medicines, etc. Any claim to justify this operation in view of a desired orderly end becomes totally groundless in view of the cruel and inhumane means that have been used. People have a right to shelter and that has been deliberately destroyed in this operation without much warning. While we all desire orderliness, alternative accommodation and sources of income should have been identified and provided before the demolitions and stoppage of informal trading. We condemn the gross injustice done to the poor.