editorial comment THE Catholic church, under the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference banner, has spoken, and this is now the time for Zanu PF to listen. Zanu PF has been branding everyone who points at the regime’s glaring human rights abuses as terrorists and evil-plotters. The bishops were unequivocal in their portrayal of the current situation in the country and where the blame lies. Zanu PF is seeing ghosts, accusing everyone of working against it, the church statement should now make it dawn on them that this is no longer a laughing matter. The ruling party has some serious introspection to do. Since time immemorial, the church has played critical roles in politics, including advocating for peace in society. The church, in other words, told the Zanu PF regime to stop the crisis obtaining in Zimbabwe and lead the people in God’s way. The bishops said the country was in a mess and just like what other politicians from South Africa’s ruling African National Congress have said, there was need now to be frank and honest about it. We have seen pictures of Zanu PF leaders in church and that brings hope that at least they will hear the voice of God through the men-of-cloth and save the suffering masses from the multifaceted crisis. Zimbabwe finds itself on a knife-edge with human rights abuses on the increase, hunger, instability, arbitrary arrests and health crisis of shocking proportions. Everything seems to be on the negative, including the people’s morale. This is not the time to suppress the people’s frustrations and anger over the state of affairs and the church eloquently outlines that in their pastoral letter. Let the people speak, let their voices be heard. This has been the message globally on Zimbabwe, but the Mnangagwa administration had oiled its propaganda machinery to portray vocal Zimbabweans as liars and those echoing their sentiments across the globe as “terrorists”, but now that the church has spoken, the least Zanu PF can do is to listen and repent. The church’s advice for the regime cannot be evil. They want a culture of listening leadership and a culture of leadership that is not corrupt, nothing more. According to the church, Zimbabwean lives matter and the only way out of such a crisis is to acknowledge that there is a problem, embrace all voices to find an inclusive solution, not what we hear that special envoys brought in by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were blocked from listening to the other side. Zimbabwe needs to heal from the culture of human rights abuses that has continued unabated in the new dispensation. The culture of corruption also needs to go while the man-made crisis in the health sector needs urgent attention. It is time Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF party listen and act accordingly.