Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has defied a European Union travel ban and flew from Zimbabwe unannounced to join world leaders attending Pope John Paul II's funeral in Rome.
The trip was immediately denounced by one of Mugabe's fiercest human rights critics, Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo.
Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo
"That man will use any opportunity to fly to Europe to promote himself. The man is shameless," said the archbishop.
The European Union travel sanctions were imposed in 2002 after its observers were barred from disputed presidential elections.
His ruling ZANU-PF party last week announced it had gained a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections also marred by fraud allegations.
However, Archbishop Ncube noted the Italian government was obliged by its treaties with the Vatican to admit Mugabe for the pope's funeral. He accused Mugabe of exploiting the Vatican during an especially busy time.
Senior church figures would be unable to communicate to him their concern at the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, the archbishop predicted.
"The Secretary of State might be rather too busy right now to talk to him, but when someone in the family has died, you appreciate all the sympathy you can get from all people, even murders, crooks and thieves like Mugabe," Archbishop Ncube said.
AP