WHETHER Archbishop Pius Ncube is guilty or innocent, only the competent courts of law can say.What is clear, though, is that the lawsuit has sparked moral outrage and cast a dark shadow of suspicion over the entire Roman Catholic Church clergy.
According to canonical law, he does not have many options. In fact, legal experts told our Bulawayo Bureau that he has only three options.
He must either gird his loins and mount a strong legal battle, or face a potentially embarrassing Vatican investigation, or simply resign.
A lawsuit would certainly raise many questions pertaining to the archbishop's integrity, honesty and credibility.
Whether he is guilty or innocent, a court case of this nature can be very demanding. He needs all the energy in the world but at the age of 60, how much of that does he have?
He also needs a good lawyer. Such lawsuits are typically long, bruising and full of twists and turns. Only a top legal mind can cope with the strain.
Ordinary Catholics and the Church itself may find this whole matter very uncomfortable.
A court case -- in the full glare and publicity of the world -- could have far-reaching consequences. It is certainly not a stroll in the park.
Should he choose to resign, he will still be faced with the task of clearing his name in court.
On the other hand, if he chooses not to resign, this could have implications on the future stability of the Bulawayo diocese.
Catholic priests are sworn to a vow of celibacy, meaning that they must never marry and must never engage in sexual intercourse.
One religious argument for celibacy is given by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 7:7-8;32-35:
"But I would have you to be without solicitude. He that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin thinketh on the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit.
"But she that is married thinketh on the things of this world how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your profit, not to cast a snare upon you, but for that which is decent and which may give you power to attend upon the Lord without impediment."
Religious scholars say Catholics understand celibacy to be a reflection of life in Heaven, and a source of detachment from the material world, which aids in one's relationship with God.
Catholic priests are called to be espoused to the Church itself, and espoused to God
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