A breakaway Anglican bishop and his supporters have demonstrated outside Harare's main cathedral against a visit to Zimbabwe by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr Rowan Williams is visiting the country amid a bitter dispute between Bishop Nolbert Kunonga and mainstream Anglican Church worshippers, and he is due to hold mass at a city stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Kunonga, a loyalist of long-time Zimbabwean ruler president Robert Mugabe, was excommunicated in 2007 by the main Anglican Province of Central Africa and the worldwide head of the Church. He was accused of inciting violence in sermons supporting Mugabe's party.
Mr Kunonga insists he split from the Anglican Church because of its position on gay marriage.
Leaders of the global Anglican Communion have condemned gay relationships as a violation of scripture. However, the Anglican Communion is loosely organised without one authoritative leader such as a pope, so some individual provinces have decided on their own that they should move towards accepting same-gender unions.
Mugabe is a bitter critic of homosexuality.
The Anglican Church in Zimbabwe has been divided since Mr Kunonga's excommunication. He has taken over the main cathedral, schools and the Church's bank accounts.
The schism in the Church has left mainstream Anglicans without places of worship and they have experienced intimidation and alleged threats of violence.
Mr Kunonga led the demonstrations on Sunday because he said Dr Williams's visit to Zimbabwe is a "crusade for gays".
"This is a demonstration against homosexuality. I told people to come and demonstrate if they wanted," Mr Kunonga said. "Rowan Williams erred by accepting homosexuality and that has broken up the Church all over."
A breakaway Anglican bishop and his supporters have demonstrated outside Harare's main cathedral against a visit to Zimbabwe by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr Rowan Williams is visiting the country amid a bitter dispute between Bishop Nolbert Kunonga and mainstream Anglican Church worshippers, and he is due to hold mass at a city stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Kunonga, a loyalist of long-time Zimbabwean ruler president Robert Mugabe, was excommunicated in 2007 by the main Anglican Province of Central Africa and the worldwide head of the Church. He was accused of inciting violence in sermons supporting Mugabe's party.
Mr Kunonga insists he split from the Anglican Church because of its position on gay marriage.
Leaders of the global Anglican Communion have condemned gay relationships as a violation of scripture. However, the Anglican Communion is loosely organised without one authoritative leader such as a pope, so some individual provinces have decided on their own that they should move towards accepting same-gender unions.
Mugabe is a bitter critic of homosexuality.
The Anglican Church in Zimbabwe has been divided since Mr Kunonga's excommunication. He has taken over the main cathedral, schools and the Church's bank accounts.
The schism in the Church has left mainstream Anglicans without places of worship and they have experienced intimidation and alleged threats of violence.
Mr Kunonga led the demonstrations on Sunday because he said Dr Williams's visit to Zimbabwe is a "crusade for gays".
"This is a demonstration against homosexuality. I told people to come and demonstrate if they wanted," Mr Kunonga said. "Rowan Williams erred by accepting homosexuality and that has broken up the Church all over."