The parish has been ripped apart since their priest, Father Gert Petrus, was ordered to leave four months ago and the church was shut, fuelling tension and anger.

Members of the Catholic hierarchy have accused Petrus of "inappropriate behaviour", but have not offered an explanation to the parish.

Waving placards reading "Hoekom is Biskop bang vir die aunties? [Why is the Bishop afraid of the aunties?]", "Biskop bedank [Bishop resign]" and "Biskop, wat het julle in ons kerk toesluit? [Bishop, what have you locked away in our church?]", a group of parishioners arrived at St Mary's Cathedral in the city centre on Thursday to demand the removal of the bishop.

They also called for their church to be opened and a fair hearing for the embattled Petrus.

'HEAR OUR PLEA' Adamant that they were not going to be left out in the cold, the group of about 50 attempted to gain access to a meeting of the parish council and about 14 ward leaders called by the Bishop to discuss the situation.

The group maintained that if the Bishop was not prepared to come to Khomasdal to talk to their parish, they would face him on home turf.

But they were stopped in their tracks by the St Mary's Cathedral Parish Priest Father Deing, who meticulously ticked off a list of invited guests only, while the Bishop chose the back entrance to the hall as parishioners demanded to see him.

Deing's only response to their demands was that liturgy services conducted by Father Petrus on Wednesdays and Sundays since last month were "illegal".

The doors of the hall were then closed on them.

This remark infuriated the group, who said their constitutional right to attend church was being curtailed by the diocese.

"Van wanneer af is die woord van God onwettig? [Since when is the word of God illegal]", an irate woman demanded to know.

Behind closed doors, a divided parish council [those for and those against the removal of Petrus] and neighbourhood leaders sought clarity from the Bishop on how to break the deadlock.

'WONDERFUL PEACE' As the sun set over Windhoek, the parishioners waited on the steps of the hall for two hours, singing "Peace, peace, wonderful peace", waving their placards and wondering among themselves how the situation had turned so sour.

Nashenda ordered the doors of the St Mary's Help of Christians locked at the end of October and gave notice to Petrus to vacate the parish house.

He is being accused of "inappropriate behaviour", but Petrus and parishioners who support him say the Bishop's orders were not in accordance with church laws.

Parishioners are demanding a fair hearing for Petrus, saying he has a right to defend allegations levelled against him.

"If the Pope could go to the jail to forgive the man who tried to kill him, why can't the bishop forgive Petrus?" one woman insisted.

Added a man: "What happened to mercy, love, goodwill and forgiveness that the church preaches?" "Where in history have you ever heard that a Roman Catholic Church is locked?" read one man's poster.

Said another: "What sins have we committed that our church has been locked?" But another group of parish council members and parishioners stand by their Bishop's decision.

They say they no longer accept Petrus as parish priest and he should leave for the sake of the church being reopened.

Thursday night's long wait for answers turned out to be the calm before the storm.

While agreeing that they would keep their emotions in check while their leaders relayed to them what they had been told, the sight of the Bishop leaving the hall in the company of council members they accuse of having sold out the parish, sparked rowdy verbal exchanges.

"Has our father been charged? Has there been a hearing? Do we know what the outcome is?" shouted one woman.

"Bishop is a coward," yelled another.

"How can our children become priests if they are treated this way?" As the various ward leaders tried to explain to sections of the group what had been said, heated arguments erupted as they exchanged opposing viewpoints on what had transpired.

BISHOP SILENT The Namibian could not reach the bishop for clarity at the weekend.

However, according to those present at the meeting, he condemned church services being led by Father Petrus.

They were warned that as long as they continued to attend these services, the church would remain locked.

Instead, parishioners were told, they should meet in their wards to hold Bible services.

The Namibian understands that Nashenda, through lawyers Lorentz and Bone, wrote to Petrus a week ago, requesting him to commit in writing that he would stop holding services.

Parishioners who have been attending the services said they would not stop going as they believed that only a priest could lead them spiritually and bring the community together again.

They believe the community cannot be healed if people are meeting in groups.

A large group has now registered a vote of no confidence in their parish council.

They say the council was effectively dissolved the day Nashenda ordered the locking of the church and chose only a selected group to handle its affairs during the impasse.

According to those present on Thursday, Nashenda told the meeting that he could not have Petrus physically removed from the property.

He also reportedly said that he did not owe parishioners an explanation for his decision to remove Petrus from the parish where he has served for more than a decade.

For the first time since the issue has been reported in The Namibian, another section of the Church has, in the last fortnight, offered a public opinion on the matter.

Hans Leu, the Director of the Roman Catholic Pastoral Centre at Otjiwarongo, has written to this newspaper twice, questioning the extent of the powers the bishop has been exercising in this case and whether church procedure for the removal of a priest has in fact been followed.

"Is there a written work contract between Bishop and his priest? Or is the priest at the Bishop's mercy?" writes Leu, questioning the notion of "obedience" to hierarchy.

"A Catholic priest may have his shortcomings like everyone, sure, but he is not officially a puppet on a string."

Khomasdal parishioners have said they are disappointed that no other parishes have openly supported them during this period.

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