Religious leaders should work towards uniting Zimbabweans in order to foster development this year and beyond, Acting President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.

Speaking to journalists after witnessing the ordination of eight Roman Catholic deacons at the Roman Catholic Church Cathedral in Harare yesterday, the Acting President called on all Zimbabweans to unite in prayer for the country.

He said the nation should turn to the church in seeking solutions to the social problems facing the country.

“It brings us joy when we see these young men making such a sacrifice, especially during these difficult times,” said Dr Chiwenga.

“We want the priests to help bring people together, to be united so that they can work towards the same goals.

“And to teach people to know that the most important thing is to remain united because we are here on earth for a very short time.

After they finish their studies, during these nine to 10 years, we expect them to do the work of God and unite the people so that we can see the incidences of crime we are witnessing in the country being reduced.”

Acting President Chiwenga said prayer allowed individuals to distinguish between right and wrong.

“When you pray, your heart and mind evolve so that you can tell the difference between the good and the bad and you let go of the bad things.

“So we want everybody’s heart and mind to evolve so they can discard what is bad and take what is right.”State media