The Archbishop of York has resumed wearing a dog collar after cutting up his previous one in protest at Robert Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe.
Dr John Sentamu cut up his clerical collar in a symbolic protest on TV a decade ago. On Sunday (November 26) he returned to the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show to be handed back the remains of the item.
Instead of attempting to reassemble the old collar he produced a new one from his pocket and put it around his neck.
.@JohnSentamu puts his dog collar back on, almost 10 years after he cut it up on #Marr, in protest at Robert Mugabe. #Zimbabwe pic.twitter.com/wFCfLvUa9a
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) November 26, 2017
The Ugandan-born Archbishop said a South African-style truth and reconciliation process was needed to heal Zimbabwe’s divisions following the end of Mr Mugabe’s 37-year rule.
He resigned on Tuesday after a military takeover.
Asked if 93-year-old Mr Mugabe should be forgiven, the Ugandan-born Archbishop said: “Mugabe at some point needs to say to the people of Zimbabwe: 37 years (ago) I took on a country which was fantastic, I nearly took it to ruin, Zimbabweans forgive me.”