Donal Lamont
Bishop Donal Lamont (1911–2003) was an Irish-Rhodesian Catholic bishop and a Roman Catholic missionary to Africa who was best known for his fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
Early days
Donal Raymond Lamont was born on July 27, 1911 at Ballycastle, in Northern Ireland. In 1929 he enrolled at Terenure College, in Dublin, and entered the Carmelite Order. He was ordained as a priest in 1937. He became a missionary in Southern Rhodesia in 1946 and was appointed first Bishop of Umtali (now known as Mutare) in 1957.[1]
UDI
When Ian Smith came to power and declared independence in 1965, Bishop Lamont was horrified. He had been a long-time critic of the racist policies of the Rhodesian government. Amongst his criticism, Lamont wrote an open letter to Ian Smith, then Prime Minister of Rhodesia, saying "Far from your policies defending Christianity and Western civilization, as you claim, they mock the law of Christ and make Communism attractive to the African people." In other writings he declared Rhodesia's segregationist Constitution and unfair land-sharing to be "a direct contradiction of the New Testament's teaching". He denounced the white people in power n the country and their colonial style rule while praising black leaders and their freedom fighters.[1]
Trial and deportation
He was tried in 1976 for giving medical aid to black guerrillas and refusing to report their position. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, which was reduced to four years on appeal. He was detained in Salisbury Hospital while the Rhodesian government made arrangements to have him deported. His Rhodesian citizenship was revoked and he was deported to Ireland in 1977. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. He died in Dublin on August 14, 2003.[1]
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