By A Correspondent-The Church has rubbished President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s directive that they should turn away unvaccinated followers from attending church gatherings.

Early this week government allowed churches to resume conducting gatherings and said that only covid-19 vaccinated congregates should be authorised to assemble.

In a joint statement, the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), made up of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Union for Development of Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe Africa, said government’s decree was impossible to implement.

“Theologically, the Church is an open and welcoming space for everyone with no restrictions. No one qualifies for church service as it is a place of God’s grace,” part of the statement read.

“The Church will find it very difficult to turn people home because they do not have a vaccination certificate. However, would it be responsible for meeting in an uncontrolled environment where possibilities of spreading the virus are high?”